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NEW- YORK  •  CINCINNATI  •  CHICAGO 
AMERICAN  •  BOOK  •  COMFAN' 


IBRARY 

OF  THK 

University  of  California. 

GIFT  OF    . 

Received  J  rCRj~.        ,  1900  . 

Accession  No.  0  /  (d  *jf.O   •    Class  No. 


®& 


Painting  by  Delaroche. 


Moses    exposed  on  the  Nile. 


(Frontispiece) 


ECLECTIC   SCHOOL    READINGS 


THE   STORY 


OF 


THE    CHOSEN    PEOPLE 


BY 


H.    A.   GUERBER 


\.IBRA 

Or  THS       ' 

£*UFOR^ 


>>04c 


NEW   YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 
AMERICAN   BOOK   COMPANY 


Copyright,  1896,  by 
AMERICAN   BOOK   COMPANY 


STORY    OF  THE   CHOSEN    PEOPLE 

W.   P.  2 


PREFACE. 


In  this  little  volume  the  author  has  tried  to  give  a  consecu- 
tive story  of  the  Jews,  or  Chosen  People,  as  objectively  as 
the  Stories  of  the  Greeks  and  of  the  Romans,  with  which  it 
forms  a  series.  The  narrative  has  been  written  in  the  simplest 
style,  so  as  to  enable  even  the  youngest  child  of  the  third  or 
fourth  reader  grade  to  understand  it. 

Not  the  least  attempt  has  been  made  to  dwell  upon  the 
strictly  religious  side  of  the  subject,  for,  owing  to  the  mixed- 
population  in  our  large  cities  and  schools,  such  an  attempt 
would  be  impracticable.  The  sole  aim  of  this  very  elementary 
work  is  to  familiarize  children,  be  they  of  Jewish,  Protestant, 
Roman  Catholic,  or  Freethinker  parentage,  with  the  outline  of 
the  story  contained  in  the  Old  Testament,  so  that  they  can 
understand  the  allusions  which  appear  even  in  juvenile  litera- 
ture, and  can  look  with  intelligent  appreciation  upon  the  repro- 
ductions of  works  of  art  which  are  now  to  be  found  in  nearly 
all  our  books  and  magazines. 

I  have  found  that,  when  told  to  young  children,  these  his- 
torical narratives  prove  a  source  of  much  interest,  and  that 
the  elementary  knowledge  then  obtained  remains  so  clear  and 
vivid  that  even  when  they  are  grown  up,  and  able  to  enter 
into  the  subject  more  thoroughly,  the  impression  of  the  story 
as  first  heard  is  the  one  which  is  most  permanent. 

5 


While  it  may  seem  that,  with  all  the  facilities  which  the 
country  affords  to  rich  and  poor  alike,  such  instruction  in 
schools  would  be  superfluous,  the  fact  rerhains  that,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  well-known  stories,  the  children  have  no 
idea  of  the  contents  of  the  Old  Testament.  This  lack  of  gen- 
eral information  on  the  subject  is  often  a  great  drawback  to 
teachers  in  the  course  of  their  instruction,  as  references  are 
constantly  made  to  the  Bible. 

•  Although  this  is  a  juvenile  history  of  the  Jews,  it  has  not 
been  written  without  much  research ;  and,  in  order  to  make  it 
as  brief,  comprehensive,  and  accurate  as  possible,  many  authori- 
ties beside  the  Bible,  Josephus,  and  the  Bible  dictionaries,  have 
been  consulted. 

It  is  hoped  that  an  inkling  of  the  story  of  the  Jews  will 
stimulate  the  children's  interest,  will  early  imbue  them  with  a 
taste  for  history,  and  will  give  them  the  desire  to  gain  further 
and  more  complete  information  on  the  subject  when  they  grow 
older. 

We  are  indebted  to  Merton  Russell  Cotes,  Esq.,  J.P.,  F.R.G.S., 
ex-Mayor  of  Bournemouth,  for  permission  to  reproduce  T.  M. 
Rooke's  painting  of  Ahab  and  Elijah,  now  in  his  possession, 
and  to  Messrs.  Braun,  Clement  &  Co.,  for  the  use  of  several 
of  their  carbons. 


CONTENTS. 


Map 

I.  The  Creation 

II.  The  Forbidden  Fruit 

III.  The  First  Murder 

IV.  The  Deluge  . 
V.  Noah's  Descendants 

VI.  The  Tower  of  Babel 

VII.  The  Birth  of  Ishmael 

VIII.  The  Birth  of  Isaac 

IX.  Abraham's  Sacrifice 

X.  The  Mess  of  Pottage 

XI.  Jacob's  Ladder 

XII.  Jacob's  Return  Home 

XIII.  Joseph's  Dreams    . 

XIV.  Pharaoh's  Dreams 
XV.  Jacob  in  Egypt 

XVI.  The  Story  of  Job  . 

XVII.  The  Ten  Plagues  . 

XVIII.  The  Crossing  of  the  Red  Sea 

XIX.  The  Golden  Calf  . 

XX.  The  Twelve  Spies 

XXI.  The  Brazen  Serpent 

XXII.  The  Death  of  Moses 

XXIII.  The  Walls  of  Jericho 


PAGE 
IO 


17 

21 

24 
27 
31 

34 
37 
40 

44 
48 

5i 

55 
58 
61 
64 
68 
7i 
73 
77 
80 

83 


XXIV.  The  Conquest  of  the  Promised  Land 

XXV.  The  Death  of  Sisera 

XXVI.  Ruth  and  Naomi     . 

XXVII.  Gideon's  Fleece      . 

XXVIII.  Defeat  of  the  Midianites 

XXIX.  Jephthah's  Daughter       . 

XXX.  Samson's  Riddle     . 

XXXI.  The  False  Delilah  . 

XXXII.  The  Ark  Captured  . 

XXXIII.  The  Return  of  the  Ark   . 

XXXIV.  Saul  King  of  Israel 
XXXV.  The  Anointing  of  David 

XXXVI.  David  and  Goliath 

XXXVII.  David's  Flight 

XXXVIII.  David's  Generosity 

XXXIX.  David  Made  King  . 

XL.  The  Ark  Brought  to  Jerusalem 

XLI.  The  Repentance  of  David 

XLII.  Absalom  in  Disgrace 

XLIII.  The  Death  of  Absalom  . 

XLIV.  The  Judgment  of  Solomon 

XLV.  The  Building  of  the  Temple 

XLVI.  The  Death  of  Solomon  . 

XLVII.  The  Two  Kingdoms 

XLVIII.  Seven  Kings  of  Israel 

XLIX.  The  Great  Drought 

L.  The  Priests  of  Baal 

LI.  Naboth's  Vineyard 

LI  I.  Several  Miracles 

LIII.  The  Chariot  of  Fire 

LIV.  Naaman  the  Leper 

LV.  The  Siege  of  Samaria     . 

LVI.  Joash  King  of  Judah 


LVII. 

The  Story  of  Jonah   . 

187 

LVIII. 

The  Captivity  of  Israel 

191 

LIX. 

The  Story  of  Tobit    . 

194 

LX. 

The  Assyrian  Host    . 

197 

LXI. 

The  Prophecies  of  Jeremiah 

2CO 

LXII. 

The  Captivity  of  Judah 

203 

LXIII. 

Nebuchadnezzar's  Dreams 

206 

LXIV. 

The  Feast  of  Belshazzar    . 

2IO 

LXV. 

The  Return  from  Captivity 

214 

LXVI. 

The  Story  of  Esther  . 

2l6 

LXVII. 

The  Jews  Saved  from  Death 

219 

LXVIII. 

Alexander  and  the  High  Priest 

222 

LXIX. 

The  Beginning  of  the  End 

225 

LXX. 

The  Destruction  of  Jerusalem 

228 

Index 

. 

231 

GibecufT\ 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  CHOSEN  PEOPLE. 

I.     THE   CREATION. 

THE  Bible,  as  you  already  know,  is  composed  of  two 
parts,  called  the  Old  and  the  New  Tes'ta-ments. 
Both  Jews  and  Christians  consider  that  the  first  part  of 
this  book  is  sacred,  because  it  contains  God's  teachings 
as  he  revealed,  or  made  them  known,  to  man.  They 
do  not,  however,  agree  about  the  second  part,  which  is 
considered  sacred  only  by  Christians. 

The  Old  Testament  contains,  besides  God's  teachings, 
a  history  of  the  Jews,  which  is  so  interesting  and  impor- 
tant that  educated  people  of  all  countries  and  religions 
are  expected  to  know  all  about  it.  It  is  this  history  which 
you  are  going  to  hear,  but,  of  course,  if  you  want  it  com- 
plete, you  must  read  it  in  the  Bible  itself. 

The  very  first  book  of  the  Bible  is  called  Gen'e-sis,  a 
word  meaning  "  origin,"  because  it  tells  us  about  the  begin- 
ning, or  origin,  of  the  world.  We  are  told  that  in  the 
beginning  there  was  neither  land  nor  water,  nor  any  liv- 
ing things,  and  that  darkness  rested  over  all. 

This  early  stage  of  affairs,  when  the  elements  of  all 
things  were  mixed  up  together,  has  been  called  Cha'os 
(confusion);    and  we  are   told   that    God,    the    Almighty, 


who  had  no  beginning  or  end,  created,  or  made,  the  whole 
world  out  of  Chaos. 

The  story  is  told  very  briefly  indeed,  and  all  the  periods 
of  creation  are  called  days.  Of  course  we  now  know  that 
by  days  the  writer  of  the  book  of  Genesis  did  not  mean 
twenty-four  hours,  as  we  do.  The  word  "days"  was  used 
for  an  indefinite  space  of  time ;  and,  just  as  God  is  far 
more  powerful  than  we  can  imagine,  so  his  days  are  far 
longer  than  ours. 

God's  spirit  moved  over  Chaos,  and  during  the  first  day 
he  said:  "Let  there  be  light."  At  these  words  the  dark- 
ness which  rested  over  al^  things  vanished,  and  light  first 
appeared.  This  light  shone  through  the  thick  vapors 
which  then  surrounded  the  earth. 

During  the  second  day,  or  period,  the  vapors  parted, 
and  now  for  the  first  time  the  blue  sky  could  mirror  itself 
in  the  blue  waters  which  covered  the  face  of  the  earth. 
As  the  clouds  in  the  sky  could  rain  down  water,  the  Bible 
says  that  on  the  second  day  God  "divided  the  waters 
which  were  under  the  firmament  [or  sky]  from  the  waters 
which  were  above  the  firmament." 

During  the  third  day,  or  period,  another  great  change 
took  place ;  for  the  crust  of  the  earth,  shaken  by  earth- 
quakes, formed  great  bumps  and  hollows.  Thus  were 
formed  mountains  and  valleys ;  and  the  waters,  which  had 
covered  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  now  flowed  into  the  deep 
basins,  where  they  formed  lakes,  seas,  and  oceans. 

As  soon  as  dry  land  appeared,  God  said  that  the  earth 
should  bring  forth  grass,  trees,  and  plants  of  all  kinds; 
and  each  one  was  to  have  seeds,  so  that  new  plants  would 
replace  the  old  as  soon  as  they  died.     The  earth  had  been 


13 

bare  and  ugly  when  it  first  rose  up  out  of  the  waters ;  but 
it  was  now  covered  with  verdure,  and  became  beautiful  as 
it  is  to-day. 

On  the  fourth  day,  God  allowed  the  lights  in  the  sky  to 
be  seen ;  and  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  began  to  serve,  as 
they  do  now,  to  mark  the  days  and  the  nights,  the  seasons 
and  the  years.  Darkness  and  light  were  thus  clearly 
divided,  and  we  are  told  that  "  God  saw  that  it  was 
good." 

During  the  fifth  day,  or  period,  when  the  rays  of  the  sun 
had  strengthened  the  trees  and  plants,  God  created  the 
birds  and  fishes,  and  bade  them  multiply  and  fly  through 
the  air,  and  fill  all  the  waters  in  the  seas.  It  is  in  obedi- 
ence to  this  command  that  the  birds  and  fishes  lay  eggs 
and  hatch  their  young. 

The  sixth  day,  or  period,  was  spent  in  the  creation  of  the 
higher  animals,  and  lastly  of  man.  Now  the  Bible  tells  us 
that  man  was  formed  out  of  earth,  but  that  he  was  differ- 
ent from  all  the  beings  which  had  already  been  created, 
because  he  was  like  God. 

This  first  man  bore  the  name  of  Ad'am.  Although  his 
body  was  made  of  dust,  his  life  was  breathed  into  him  by 
God,  who  brought  all  the  animals  to  him  that  he  might 
name  them,  and  told  him  that  he  should  be  master  over 
them  all. 

God  had  labored  for  six  whole  days,  or  periods,  and 
from  Chaos  had  brought  forth  the  world  and  all  the  living 
creatures  in  it.  He  gazed  upon  his  work,"  saw  everything 
that  he  had  made,  and  behold,  it  was  very  good."  The 
labor  was  done,  so,  on  the  seventh  day,  God  "  rested  from 
all  his  work." 


It  is  partly  because  God  rested  on  the  seventh  day,  after 
laboring  six  days,  that  we  work  for  six  days  of  the  week, 
and  rest  on  the  seventh  ;  and  each  Sunday  is  thus  an  anni- 
versary of  God's  day  of  rest. 


>XKC 


II.     THE    FORBIDDEN    FRUIT. 

ADAM  had  been  placed  in  a  beautiful  garden  named 
E'den,  which  God  had  planted,  and  which  was 
watered  by  four  rivers.  Here  God  came  to  visit  the  first 
man,  and  told  him  that  he  could  eat  of  the  fruit  of  every 
plant  and  tree  in  the  garden,  except  the  fruit  which  grew 
on  "the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil."  This 
tree  was  placed  in  the  center  of  the  garden,  and  God  gave 
this  order  to  find  out  whether  Adam  would  obey  him. 

Besides,  if  the  man  did  not  eat  of  the  fruit,  he  would 
never  know  trouble  or  sickness.  At  the  same  time  that 
God  gave  this  first  command,  or  law,  he  added  the  first 
punishment,  or  penalty,  saying :  "  For  in  the  day  that 
thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die." 

God  now  brought  the  animals  which  he  had  created,  so 
that  Adam  might  name  them  all.  In  doing  so,  the  man 
saw  that  the  beasts  went  about  in  pairs,  and  that  he  was 
the  only  living  creature  who  had  no  mate.  He  felt  very 
lonely  when  he  saw  this,  and  told  God  that  he  would  like 
to  have  a  companion  like  himself.  So  the  Creator  "  caused 
a  deep  sleep  to  fall  upon  Adam,  and  he  slept ;  and  he  took 
one  of  his  ribs,"  and  from  it  made  a  woman. 

When  Adam  awoke,  God  brought  the  first  woman  to  him. 


i5 

Adam  saw  that  she  was  a  part  of  himself ;  and  he  said 
that  a  man  shall  "leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall 
cleave  unto  his  wife."  Thus,  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  and 
in  the  presence  of  God  himself,  the  first  marriage  was  cele- 
brated ;  and  Adam  and  his  wife  were  so  pure  and  innocent 
that  they  were  perfectly  happy,  and  no  more  ashamed  of 
being  naked  than  little  children. 

Adam  dwelt  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  with  Eve,  as  the 
first  woman  was  called,  in  perfect  happiness,  which  was  to 
last  as  long  as  they  obeyed  God  and  did  not  eat  any  of  the 
fruit  which  hung  on  "  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil."  Unfortunately,  however,  there  was  an  evil 
spirit,  called  the  Tempt'er,  the  Dev'il,  or  Sa'tan,  who 
entered  the  Garden  of  Eden  in  the  form  of  a  serpent. 

He  was  jealous  of  the  happiness  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and 
very  anxious  to  deprive  them  of  it.  So  he  spoke  to  Eve, 
and  told  her  that  God  had  forbidden  their  eating  any  of 
the  fruit  of  the  tree  in  the  center  of  the  garden  only 
because  he  wanted  to  keep  it  all  for  himself. 

The  serpent  then  urged  Eve  to  taste  the  fruit,  saying : 
"  Ye  shall  not  surely  die  ;  for  God  doth  know  that  in  the 
day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be  opened,  and  ye 
shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil."  Eve  believed 
the  words  of  the  wicked  serpent,  ate  some  of  the  fruit,  and 
gave  some  to  Adam,  who  ate  it  too. 

As  the  serpent  had  said,  their  eyes  were  now  opened ; 
and,  whereas  they  had  known  only  good  before,  they  now 
knew  evil  also.  God  had  seen  that  they  would  never  be 
perfectly  happy  if  they  knew  evil,  and  he  had  kindly  kept 
that  knowledge  from  them. 

But  now  they  had  disobeyed  his  command,  and  with  the 


16 


knowledge  of  evil  came  the  feeling  of  shame  and  fear, 
which  they  had  never  had  before,  and  which  made  them 
go  and  hide  among  the  trees  of  the  garden.  In  the  cool 
of  the  day,  God  came  into  the  garden,  and  called  to 
them.  Adam  came  slowly,  in  answer  to  this  call,  and 
excused  himself,  saying  that  he  was  afraid  to  come  out 
because  he  was  naked. 

At  these  words,  God  asked  him  whether  he  had  tasted 
the  forbidden  fruit;  and  when  Adam  confessed  that  the 
woman  had  given  him  some,  God  questioned  Eve.  She, 
in  her  turn,  confessed  her  disobedience,  but  said  that  the 
serpent  had  tempted  her. 

Both  Adam  and  Eve  had  broken  the  first  law,  so  they 
had  to  suffer  the  punishment  which  God  had  warned  them 
they  must  receive.  The  serpent,  who  had  tempted  the 
woman,  was  condemned  to  be  hated  of  all  men,  and  to 
crawl  in  the  dust.  Eve  was  told  that  she  must  obey  her 
husband,  and  that  she  would  suffer,  while  Adam  was 
doomed  to  a  life  of  hard  work,  because  the  earth  would 
no  longer  yield  him  food  unless  he  tilled  the  soil. 

No  promise  was  added  to  make  the  serpent's  sentence 
less  severe,  but  Eve  was  told  that  her  children  would  fight 
against  the  serpent  (the  spirit  of  evil),  and  that  in  time 
one  of  them  would  conquer  him.  Adam  was  promised 
that  his  toil  would  not  be  in  vain,  but  that  God  would 
bless  it  and  enable  him  to  earn,  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow, 
the  bread  without  which  he  could  not  live. 

When  the  judgment  against  the  serpent,  the  man,  and 
the  woman  had  thus  been  given,  God  reminded  Adam  and 
Eve  that,  as  they  had  sinned,  they  would  suffer  death. 
He  warned  them  that  as  their  bodies  had  been  made  of 


*7 

dust,  they  could  not  last  forever,  using  the  words  which 
are  now  spoken  in  the  funeral  service  :  "  Dust  thou  art,  and 
unto  dust  shalt  thou  return." 


>X>4C 


III.     THE    FIRST    MURDER. 

GOD  is  as  good  as  he  is  just,  so  he  next  taught 
Adam  and  Eve  how  to  clothe  themselves  in  the 
skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  then  sent  them  out  of  the  Gar- 
den of  Eden,  which  they  were  never  to  see  again.  God 
did  not  want  them  to  come  back  there,  because  the  tree  of 
life  grew  in  the  garden,  and  as  long  as  they  ate  of  its 
fruit  they  could  not  die.  To  prevent  their  coming  in 
again,  he  placed  an  angel  at  the  gates  of  Par'a-dise 
(Eden),  and  armed  him  with  a  flaming  sword  which 
turned  every  way. 

Although  Adam  and  Eve  suffered  keenly  for  their  dis- 
obedience, they  did  not  despair.  They  believed  God's 
words,  and  began  to  look  forward  to  the  time  when  the 
promised  child  would  come,  who,  by  killing  the  serpent, 
would  make  up  for  the  harm  they  had  done.  The  men- 
tion of  this  child  is  the  first  prophecy  about  the  Mes-si'ah, 
or  Re-deem'er ;  and  from  the  day  she  left  Eden,  Eve  lived 
in  constant  hope  of  his  coming.  To  prevent  man  from 
forgetting  this  promise,  and,  the  Christians  say,  as  a  sign 
of  the  last  great  sacrifice  in  the  Bible,  God  also  taught 
Adam  and  Eve  to  offer  living  animals  upon  his  altar. 

It  was  after  they  had  been  driven  out  of  Eden  that  Eve 
gave  birth  to  her  first  child,  in  sorrow  and  suffering,  as 

STO.    OF   CHO.    PEOP.  —  2 


i8 


God  had  foretold.  This  child  was  called  Cain,  a  word 
which  means  "a  possession,"  because  his  mother  thought 
that  he  was  the  promised  child ;  but  when  her  second  son, 
A'bel,  meaning  "a  breath  or  vapor,"  was  born,  Eve  began 
to  understand  that  the  time  for  the  keeping  of  God's 
promise  might  still  be  a  long  way  off. 

While  Eve  nursed  her  children,  Adam  tilled  the  soil, 
and  when  the  two  boys  grew  up,  they  worked  too,  Cain 
at  the  plow,  and  Abel  as  a  shepherd.  Thus,  you  see, 
farming  and  cattle  raising  were  the  two  first  occupations 
of  man. 

When  these  two  young  men  were  old  enough,  they  got 
ready  to  offer  a  sacrifice  to  God.  But  Cain,  the  elder,  was 
in  a  bad  temper  when  he  laid  a  basket  of  fruit  on  the 
altar.  An  offering  made  in  such  a  spirit  could  not  be 
agreeable  to  God,  so  he  not  only  refused  it,  but  also  re- 
buked Cain  for  his  bad  feelings.  Abel,  who  was  gentle 
and  loving,  brought  a  lamb  from  his  flock,  and  laid  it  upon 
the  altar,  full  of  love  and  trust  in  God  ;  so  his  sacrifice 
was  accepted. 

Shortly  after  this  ceremony,  the  two  brothers  met  in  a 
very  lonely  place;  and  Cain,  who  had  long  been  jealous  of 
his  brother,  took  this  chance  to  fall  upon  him  and  murder 
him.  This  first  crime  was  very  quickly  punished.  Even 
as  Cain  fled  in  terror  from  the  spot  where  his  brother's 
lifeless  body  was  lying,  God  suddenly  appeared  to  him, 
and  asked:  "Where  is  Abel,  thy  brother?" 

Cain  crossly  answered  :  "Am  I  my  brother's  keeper  ?  " 
But  God  knew  all  that  had  happened.  To  punish  Cain, 
God  told  him  that  the  earth  would  no  longer  bear  any 
fruit  under  his  care,  and  that  he  would  not  be  allowed  to 


Painting  by  Salvator  Rosa. 


Death  of  Abel. 


(19) 


20 


make  his  home  near  the  spot  where  his  murdered  brother 
lay. 

At  the  same  time,  God  also  rilled  Cain's  heart  with  a 
constant  dread  that  some  one  would  kill  him,  as  he  had 
killed  Abel.  He  therefore  fled  in  terror ;  but  God,  who 
did  not  wish  him  to  perish,  put  a  mark  upon  him,  and 
spoke  a  sevenfold  curse  upon  any  one  who  should  dare  to 
lay  hands  upon  him. 

Protected  by  this  mysterious  mark,  which  is  called  the 
"brand  of  Cain,"  the  unhappy  man  started  out;  and,  after 
wandering  about  in  an  aimless  way  for  some  time,  he 
settled  in  the  land  of  Nod,  a  word  which  means  "  ban- 
ishment." 

Here  Cain  saw  that  the  earth  would  no  longer  bring 
forth  fruit  for  his  support ;  so  he  ceased  to  earn  his  living 
as  a  farmer,  and  began  to  make  all  kinds  of  things  instead. 
His  haunting  fears,  however,  never  left  him ;  and  to  pro- 
tect himself,  he  built  a  fortified  city,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  his  son  E'noch. 

We  know  very  little  about  Cain's  life  after  that,  and  the 
Bible  only  tells  us  the  names  of  some  of  his  descendants. 
La'mech,  his  great-great-great  grandson,  was  the  father  of 
Ja'bal,  the  first  wandering  herdsman,  and  Ju'bal,  the  inven- 
tor of  the  first  musical  instruments,  and  Tu'bal-cain,  the 
first  smith,  who  made  articles  of  iron  and  bronze. 


21 


IV.     THE    DELUGE. 


ADAM  and  Eve,  in  the  mean  while,  continued  to  live 
alone,  mourning  the  death  of  Abel,  and  the  depar- 
ture of  Cain.  But  when  they  were  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  old,  a  third  son  was  born  to  them,  and  they  called 
him  Seth,  which  means  "the  appointed,"  because  they 
thought  that  it  was  surely  the  Redeemer  who  had  come. 

They  were  again  disappointed,  however ;  but  Seth  mar- 
ried, and  Adam  had  many  descendants,  the  sixth  in  direct 
line  being  Enoch.  This  man  was  very  good  and  pious,  and 
"walked  with  God."  He  was  rewarded  for  his  goodness; 
for  God  did  not  allow  him  to  die  like  the  rest  of  his  race, 
but  carried  him  off  to  heaven,  so  that  "  he  should  not  see 
death." 

Enoch's  son,  Me-thu'se-lah,  is  noted  as  having  reached 
the  greatest  age  ever  attained  by  man,  —  nine  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  years.  He  was  two  hundred  and  forty-three 
years  old  when  Adam  died,  and  must  often  have  heard 
him  tell  about  the  Garden  of  Eden,  the  eating  of  the  for- 
bidden fruit,  and  how  he  was  driven  out  of  Paradise. 

Methuselah's  grandson  was  No'ah,  who  was  born  six 
hundred  years  before  Methuselah  died ;  and  Noah  no 
doubt  often  heard  his  grandfather  relate  the  stories  which 
Adam  had  told. 

The  world  had  grown  very  wicked  during  the  fifteen 
hundred  and  fifty-six  years  which  had  passed  by  since  the 
creation  of  Adam  ;  for  his  numerous  descendants  had  mar- 
ried daughters  of  Cain,  and  had  learned  to  do  many  evil 
things. 


22 


When  God  saw  that  the  people  were  growing  so  bad,  he 
no  longer  allowed  them  to  become  as  old  as  their  fathers 
had  lived  to  be.  Instead  of  permitting  men  to  live  nearly 
a  thousand  years,  like  the  good  Methuselah,  God  short- 
ened their  lives. 

Then,  a  little  later,  seeing  that  the  "wickedness  of  man 
was  great  in  the  earth,"  God  regretted  having  ever  created 
man,  and  made  up  his  mind  to  take  the  human  race  off 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  completely  destroy  it.  Only 
one  family  was  to  be  spared,  the  family  of  Noah,  because 
he  was  a  truly  good  man,  who  thus  "found  grace  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord." 

Noah  was  the  tenth  patriarch,  or  father  of  a  family,  in 
Adam's  race ;  and  he  was  six  hundred  years  old  before 
the  threatened  destruction  of  mankind  took  place.  God 
warned  him  that  a  great  flood  would  visit  the  earth,  and 
gave  him  directions  how  to  build  a  large  boat,  or  ark, 
in  which  he  and  his  family  could  take  refuge.  This  ark 
was  at  once  begun,  as  God  had  commanded,  although  all 
Noah's  neighbors  laughed  at  him,  and  paid  no  heed  when 
he  begged  them  to  turn  from  their  wicked  ways  and  repent. 

At  the  end  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  the  ark 
was  finished.  In  obedience  to  God's  command,  Noah  then 
entered  into  this  ship,  with  his  wife,  his  seas  Shem,  Ham, 
and  Ja'pheth,  and  their  wives.  There  were,  therefore, 
eight  human  beings  in  the  ark,  besides  the  animals  which 
it  contained.  Of  these  Noah  took  with  him  one  pair  of 
every  kind  that  was  "  unclean,"  or  not  fit  for  sacrifice ; 
but  of  the  "  clean  "  animals  he  took  seven  of  each  kind, 
—  three  pairs  and  an  extra  male  for  sacrifice. 

So  great  was  the  throng  of  animals  which  pressed  about 


23 

the  ark  that  it  took  them  seven  days  to  enter  it.  Then, 
when  they  were  all  safely  housed,  God  shut  Noah  in. 
Next  he  allowed  the  waters  of  the  deep  to  rise  and 
overflow,  and  sent  down  torrents  of  rain,  which  fell  for 
forty  days  and  forty  nights. 

This  great  downpour  is  called  the  flood,  or  deluge,  and 
in  it  perished  every  living  creature  that  was  left  upon 
earth.  The  waters  rose  higher  and  higher,  until  they  over- 
took and  drowned  the  last  fugitives.  At  the  end  of  forty 
days,  Noah  alone  remained  alive,  with  his  family  and  the 
animals  which  he  had  taken  into  the  ark.  All  the  wicked 
people  had  died,  and  a  new  record  was  about  to  begin. 

The  ark,  with  all  its  living  freight,  floated  about  for 
five  months,  before  it  ran  aground  upon  the  peak  of 
Mount  Ar'a-rat ;  but  two  more  months  passed  by  before 
the  other  mountain  tops  rose  out  of  the  waters. 

Forty  days  later  Noah  opened  the  window  of  the  ark, 
and  sent  out  a  raven.  The  bird  flew  to  and  fro,  but  did 
not  come  back  to  the. boat.  In  the  course  of  the  next 
week  Noah  sent  forth  a  dove,  which  flew  back ;  and  a 
few  days  later  he  sent  it  out  again  and  it  brought  back 
an  olive  twig  with  young  leaves. 

Noah  joyfully  received  this  olive  twig,  because  he  knew 
it  was  a  sign  that  the  waters  had  gone  down,  and  that 
even  low  trees  were  now  entirely  uncovered  and  were 
putting  forth  new  leaves.  Ever  since  then  an  olive  branch 
has  been  considered  an  emblem  of  peace  and  good  tidings. 

After  waiting  another  week,  Noah  came  out  of  the 
ark ;  and  he  again  set  foot  on  dry  ground  when  he  was 
six  hundred  and  one  years  old.  He  was  followed  by  his 
family,  and  by  all  the  animals  and  birds  in  the  ark.     Then 


24 

the  first  thing  that  he  did  was  to  give  thanks  to  God  for 
saving  him.  He  built  an  altar  upon  Mount  Ararat,  and 
there  offered  up  a  sacrifice  of  every  kind  of  clean  bird 
and  beast. 


>XK< 


V.     NOAH'S    DESCENDANTS. 

GOD  was  much  pleased  by  Noah's  act  of  piety  in 
giving  thanks  and  offering  a  sacrifice  as  soon  as 
he  came  out  of  the  ark.'  For  this  reason  he  promised 
the  patriarch  that  he  would  never  curse  the  earth  again 
on  account  of  man,  nor  destroy  it.  He  added  that  he 
would  be  patient  with  all  living  things,  and  would  never 
send  such  a  flood  again  as  long  as  the  earth  lasted. 

The  blessing  which  had  been  spoken  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  "be  fruitful  and  multiply,"  was  repeated;  and  the 
animals  were  again  made  subject  to  man,  who  was  now 
allowed  to  eat  meat  for  the  first  time. 

Besides  the  law  about  the  killing  of  animals  for  food, 
God  now  made  a  decree  against  murder,  saying  that  he 
who  "sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be 
shed."     That  is  why  murderers  are  still  put  to  death. 

God  then  made  a  covenant,  or  agreement,  with  Noah, 
and  said  that  if  men  obeyed  him  he  would  watch  over 
them  and  not  destroy  them  ;  and  as  a  reminder  of  this 
promise,  he  set  the  rainbow  in  the  clouds.  This  is  the 
reason  why  you  will  often  hear -the  rainbow  called  the 
"  bow  of  promise." 

Although  God  had  saved  Noah  and  his  family,  to  begin 


25 

a  new  race,  it  soon  became  plain  that  they  too  would  sin ; 
for  Noah  himself  yielded  to  the  low  vice  of  drunkenness. 
His  son  Ham  found  him  in  a  drunken  sleep,  and  went 
and  told  Noah's  other  sons,  mocking  him. 

Shem  and  Japheth  were  shocked  and  ashamed,  but  they 
did  not  join  in  their  brother's  mockery.  Instead  of  this, 
they  threw  a  great  cloak  over  their  sleeping  father,  to  hide 
him  from  their  own  and  everybody  else's  eyes. 

When  Noah  came  to  his  senses,  he  was  bitterly  ashamed; 
and  when  he  heard  how  rude  Ham  had  been,  Noah  sent 
him  away,  and  cursed  him,  saying  that  his  children  would 
be  slaves.  This  prophecy  came  true,  and  Ham  was  the 
ancestor  of  the  black,  or  negro,  race,  who  were  slaves  even 
in  this  country  half  a  century  ago. 

•  Noah  then  rewarded  Shem  and  Japheth  for  their  dutiful 
conduct,  by  blessing  them.  In  time,  Japheth's  descend- 
ants became  the  ancestors  of  all  the  European  nations 
(and  thus  of  the  Americans) ;  while  Shem  was  chosen  as 
the  father  of  the  race  of  the  Jews.  You  will  often  hear  it 
called  the  "  Chosen  Race,"  because  God  gave  his  laws  to 
this  people,  and  said  that  the  Messiah  would  be  born 
among  them. 

Noah  lived  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  flood, 
and  died  when  he  was  nine  hundred  and  fifty  years  old. 
The  date  of  his  death  is  said  to  be  just  halfway  between 
the  creation  of  Adam  and  the  birth  of  Christ,  whom  the 
Christians  consider  as  the  Redeemer  promised  when  Adam 
and  Eve  were  driven  out  of  Eden. 

Noah  died  just  one  year  before  the  great  patriarch 
A'bra-ham  was  born ;  but  the  story  of  creation  passed 
directly  from  Adam  to  Methuselah,  from  Methuselah  to 


26 


Noah,  and  from  Noah  to  Te'rah,  the  father  of  Abraham. 
Thus,  although  it  was  not  yet  written,  but  only  told,  it 
could  not  have  changed  much,  although  so  many  years 
had  passed  since  the  creation  of  Adam. 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  the  descendants  of  Noah's  sons 
spread,  in  the  course  of  time,  all  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 
In  a  few  words  it  says  that  Japheth's  race  included  all 
the  Gen'tiles  (people  who  were  not  Jews).  One  of  the 
descendants  of  Ham  was  Nim'rod,  a  mighty  hunter  and 
king,  and  the  founder  of  a  great  city  called  Bab'y-lon. 
Some  of  Nimrod's  descendants  built  the  city  of  NhVe-veh 
also,  and  formed  the  great  As-syr'i-an  Empire. 

The  only  one  of  Noah's  sons  whose  story  is  given  at 
length  in  the  Bible,  is  Shem,  the  ancestor  of  the  Jewish 
race.  In  his  days  "  the  whole  earth  was  of  one  language* 
and  of  one  speech,"  and  we  are  told  that  the  people  gen- 
erally wandered  about  in  search  of  good  pasture  for  their 
large  flocks,  which  were  their  chief  possession. 

Journeying  thus  from  place  to  place,  Shem's  descend- 
ants came  at  last  to  the  plain  of  Shi'nar,  where  Nimrod 
lived.  Here  the  soil  was  mostly  clay,  so  the  people  soon 
learned  to  make  bricks,  and  to  use  them  for  building 
houses. 


27 


VI.     THE   TOWER   OF   BABEL. 

THERE  were  plenty  of  building  materials  on  the  plain 
of  Shinar,  so  the  people  soon  fancied  that  it  would 
be  a  fine  thing  to  join  Nimrod  and  found  a  world-wide 
empire,  with  a  great  city  as  its  capital.  Nimrod,  it  seems, 
was  at  the  head  of  this  plan,  and  greatly  encouraged  them. 
He  hoped  that  if  all  the  people  were  banded  together,  he 
would  be  able  to  prevent  them  from  being  scattered  all 
over  the  face  of  the  world,  as  God  had  said  he  intended 
to  have  them. 

The  work  of  building  was  therefore  begun,  and  by  Nim- 
rod's  orders  a  huge  tower  was  erected  near  the  new  city. 
But  "  the  Lord  came  down  to  see  the  city  and  the  tower, 
which  the  children  of  men  builded  ;  "  and  it  did  not  please 
him.  To  defeat  their  plans,  God  confused  the  tongues  of 
the  builders,  so  that  they  spoke  different  languages ;  and 
then,  as  they  could  no  longer  understand  one  another's 
speech,  the  men  left  off  working  together. 

People  who  do  not  understand  one  another  are  sure  to 
quarrel,  and  before  long  the  builders  went  off  in  different 
directions,  in  search  of  new  homes,  where  they  could 
speak  their  own  language  in  peace.  Thus  Nimrod's  plan 
to  found  a  great  empire  came  to  an  end,  and  the  Tower 
of  Ba'bel  (confusion)  was  never  completed. 

Terah,  the  father  of  Abraham,  was  the  eighth  in  direct 
descent  from  Shem,  son  of  Noah.  Besides  Abraham,  he 
had  two  other  sons,  Na'hor  and  Ha'ran,  who  were  prob- 
ably much  older  than  Abraham.  The  brothers  all  mar- 
ried, and  for  some  time  dwelt  in  the  ancient  city  of  Ur  ; 


Drawn  by  G.  Varian. 
(28) 


Building  the  Tower  of  Babel. 


29 

but  before  long  God  called  to  Abraham,  and  bade  him  go 
into  a  new  land  which  would  be  given  to  him.  In  obedi- 
ence to  this  call,  the  whole  family  set  out,  and  made  their 
home  east  of  the  Eu-phra'tes  River,  where  Terah  died 
when  Abraham  was  seventy-five  years  old. 

Nahor,  the  oldest  living  son  of  Terah,  claimed  the  land 
where  they  had  settled  as  his  inheritance ;  and,  after  a 
second  call  from  God,  Abraham  continued  his  journey, 
traveling  southward  with  his  wife  Sa'rah,  and  his  nephew 
Lot.  They  were  going  in  search  of  the  land  promised  by 
God,  for  Abraham  fully  trusted  in  these  words  which  the 
Lord  had  spoken  :         H  ^^c 

"  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation,  and  I  will  bless 
thee,  and  make  thy  name  great,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  bless- 
ing ;  and  I  will  ble&s  them  that  bless  thee,  and  curse  him 
that  curseth  thee,  and  in  thee  shall  all  families  of  the 
earth  be  blessed." 

These  last  words,  as  you  see,  contained  a  new  promise 
of  a  Redeemer,  like  the  one  made  to  Adam,  and  God  now 
added  the  information  that  this  Redeemer  would  bless 
even  the  Gentiles,  —  that  is  to  say,  the  people  who  did 
nofbelon£  to  the  Chosen  Race.  V/r^ 

Abraham  now  crossed  the  Euphrates  River,  and  hence 
received  the  name  of  He'brew,  which  is  borne  by  his  de- 
scendants, and  which  means  "the  man  who  has  crossed 
the  river."  He  passed  through  the  desert,  crossed  the 
river  Jor'dan,  and  entered  the  Holy  Land,  where  he  rested 
for  a  while. 

From  there  Abraham  wandered  on  in  search  of  pasture, 
until  he  came  at  last  to  the  rich  land  of  Egypt.  Here  he 
was  in  a  strange  country,  among  a  strange  people.     He 


3Q 

was  afraid  they  would  kill  him  to  obtain  possession  of 
Sarah,  his  wife,  so  he  coaxed  her  to  say  that  she  was 
only  his  sister. 

The  people,  thinking  that  Sarah  was  an  unmarried 
woman,  carried  her  off  to  the  king's  palace  to  be  his  wife; 
but,  as  soon  as  she  arrived  there,  a  terrible  disease  visited 
all  the  family  of  the  king.  At  first  no  one  knew  the  cause 
of  this  sickness,  but  finally  the  king  found  out  that  it  had 
been  sent  to  punish  him  for  trying  to  take  another  man's 
wife. 

He  had  no  intention  of  doing  so  wicked  a  thing,  so 
he  at  once  sent  Sarah  back  to  her  husband,  and  reproved 
Abraham  for  deceiving  him.  He  also  bade  Abraham 
leave  the  country,  saying  that  he  did  not  wish  to  keep 
a  man  who  had  brought  him  nothing  but  harm. 

Thus  forced  to  wander  on,  Abraham  traveled  northward 
until  he  came  to  Beth'el,  in  the  Holy  Land,  where  he 
had  once  rested,  and  where  he  rebuilt  the  altar  to  wor- 
ship God. 

His  cattle  had  now  become  so  numerous  that  it  was 
very  hard  indeed  to  find  pasture  enough  for  all  his  flocks. 
One  day  a  quarrel  arose  between  the  shepherds  of  Abra- 
ham and  those  of  Lot ;  and,  to  prevent  a  renewal  of  it, 
the  uncle  and  nephew  decided  to  part.  As  Lot  was  the 
son  of  an  elder  brother,  Abraham  gave  him  the  first 
choice  ;  and  he  passed  down  the  valley  to  the  eastward, 
where  the  pasture  seemed  the  best.  Then  Abraham, 
still  trusting  in  the  promises  of  God,  moved  a  little  way 
towards  the  south,  where  he  again  rested  and  built  an- 
other altar. 


3i 


VII.     THE   BIRTH   OF   ISHMAEL. 

AFTER  parting  from  his  uncle,  Lot  went  down  into 
the  fertile  valley  of  the  lower  Jordan,  and  pitched 
his  tents  near  the  five  rich  cities  of  the  plain,  among 
which  were  Sod'om  and  Go-mor'rah.  These  cities  were 
ruled  by  five  kings,  and  in  them  dwelt  men  who  were  as 
wicked  as  wicked  could  be. 

Lot,  who  was  a  good  man,  did  not  enjoy  the  neighbor- 
hood of  these  wicked  people ;  but,  instead  of  going  away, 
he  lingered  there  until  a  war  broke  out  between  the  five 
cities  and  a  powerful  king  who  claimed  tribute  from 
them. 

A  battle  was  fought,  in  which  the  Kings  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  were  killed.  Their  cities  were  then  robbed ; 
and  Lot,  being  found  on  their  lands,  was  carried  off  into 
captivity  with  all  the  rest  of  the  people,  and  all  his  pos- 
sessions were  taken  away  from  him. 

The  news  of  Lot's  peril  was  brought  to  Abraham.  As 
soon  as  he  heard  it,  he  hastily  gathered  together  the 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  men  of  his  household,  and, 
accompanied  by  the  Am'o-rites,  his  friends,  he  hurried 
off  to  rescue  his  unlucky  nephew. 

This  small  troop  overtook  the  victors  near  the  sources 
of  the  Jordan.  There,  by  cleverly  dividing  his  forces, 
and  surprising  the  enemy  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
Abraham  managed  not  only  to  beat  them,  but  to  free 
Lot  and  to  get  back  all  the  spoil  they  had  taken. 

The  little  army  then  came  home  in  triumph,  and 
Abraham  gave  back  the  spoil  to  the  new  King  of  Sodom. 


32 

He  kept  only  the  tenth  part  for  the  King  of  Sa'lem,  a 
priest  of  the  Lord,  who  came  to  meet  him,  and  gave 
him  bread  and  wine,  and  blessed  him. 

Abraham,  having  thus  saved  Lot  from  the  hands  of  his 
enemies,  went  home,  where  he  was  soon  made  happy  by 
a  vision  from  God.  This  time  the  Lord  repeated  all 
the  promises  he  had  already  made,  and  told  Abraham 
that  he  would  have  a  son.  Then  pointing  upward,  God 
said  that  Abraham's  descendants  would  be  as  many  as 
the  stars  shining  in  the  blue  sky -above  them. 

Now  the  patriarch  was  over  eighty  years  old,  and  had 
already  waited  many  years  in  vain  for  the  son  whom  God 
had  promised  him,  but  yet  he  believed  these  words.  He 
also  listened  respectfully  while  God  foretold  that  the 
Hebrews  would  be  treated  as  slaves  in  a  foreign  land 
for  four  hundred  years,  but  would  finally  escape,  with 
larger  numbers  and  greater  riches,  to  take  possession  of 
the  promised  land. 

Another  time,  God  bade  Abraham  practice  a  religious 
rite  called  circumcision.  This  rite  was  observed  by  all 
the  Jews  after  that,  and  it  finally  became  the  mark  of  the 
Hebrew  nation,  just  as  baptism  is  the  outward  sign  of  a 
Christian. 

Abraham's  faith  in  God's  promises  was  tried  by  another 
long  period  of  waiting.  His  wife  Sarah  became  so  sure 
that  God  would  never  give  her  a  son  that  she  finally  per- 
suaded her  husband  to  accept  Ha'gar,  her  servant,  as  a 
second  wife.  It  was  not  at  all  unusual  in  those  days  for 
a  man  to  have  several  wives  at  the  same  time ;  and  you 
will  soon  see  that  more  than  one  of  the  patriarchs  fol- 
lowed this  custom. 


33 

Hagar,  Abraham's  new  wife,  soon  became  the  mother 
of  a  son  called  Ish'ma-el,  whose  birth  was  foretold  by 
an  angel.  The  messenger  of  God  came  to  Hagar  one 
day,  and  told  her  that  this  child  would  be  "  a  wild  man ;  " 
and  it  is  said  that  he  became  in  time  the  ancestor  of  a 
wandering  race  which  we  now  call  Bed'ou-ins,  or  Ar'abs. 

Fourteen  years  after  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  three  stran- 
gers came  to  Abraham's  tent;  and  it  is  supposed  that 
they  must  have  been  angels.  After  they  had  rested  and 
eaten,  these  angels  told  Abraham  that  Sarah  would  have 
a  son.  The  patriarch  believed  them,  for  he  had  not  lost 
faith  in  God's  promise  even  yet ;  but  Sarah,  who  was 
standing  behind  the  door,  laughed  at  them. 

The  messengers  reproved  her  for  doubting  their  words, 
and  set  out  with  Abraham  toward  the  cities  of  the  plain. 
On  their  way,  one  of  these  strangers  told  Abraham  that 
God  was  weary  of  the  wickedness  of  the  people  in  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  and  was  about  to  destroy  them  in  punish- 
ment for  their  sins. 

Abraham  was  horrified  when  he  heard  this,  and  he 
humbly  asked  whether  God  would  destroy  the  guilty  cities 
if  fifty  good  persons  could  be  found  within  them.  When 
told  that  fifty  good  men  would  save  the  towns,  Abraham 
inquired  whether  forty,  thirty,  twenty,  or  even  ten  right- 
eous men  would  not  be  enough,  and  each  time  the 
stranger  answered,  "Yes." 

It  was  so  unlikely  that  even  ten  righteous  men  should 
be  found  there  that  Abraham  sadly  returned  to  his  tent, 
while  his  visitors  passed  on  to  the  city  of  Sodom,  to  find 
out  whether  the  people  were  really  all  wicked,  and  whether 
they  deserved  death.  ^^B"?HT"^*!s^ 

STO.    OF   CHO.    PKOP.  —  3  f  OF  THK 

(  TJNIVEHSITY 


34 


VIII.     THE   BIRTH    OF   ISAAC. 

WHILE  Abraham  had  been  pleading  with  one  of 
the  strangers  to  spare  the  wicked  cities,  the  two 
others  had  gone  ahead,  and  had  entered  the  city  of 
Sodom.  Lot,  the  only  good  man  in  the  whole  place,  in- 
vited them  into  his  house  to  spend  the  night. 

But  the  people  of  Sodom,  hearing  that  there  were 
strangers  at  his  house,  rushed  there,  and  asked  that  these 
should  be  delivered  up,  so  that  they  might  be  put  to  the 
torture.  Lot  refused  to  give  up  his  guests,  and  began  to 
defend  them  with  all  his  might. 

The  Sod'om-ites,  however,  were  so  great  in  number  that 
Lot  would  not  have  been  able  to  resist  them  had  not  the 
strangers  struck  them  with  sudden  blindness.  The  rude 
men  now  groped  their  way  helplessly  through  the  streets, 
little  suspecting  that  this  attempt  to  injure  strangers  had 
settled  their  own  fate. 

As  Lot  was  a  very  good  man,  and  had  not  sinned,  the 
strangers  now  bade  him  leave  the  city,  with  his  wife  and 
daughters  and  all  that  he  had.  In  hopes  of  saving  some 
of  the  people  from  the  threatened  ruin,  Lot  lingered  there, 
until  the  angels  led  him  out  with  his  wife  and  daughters, 
bidding  them  all  not  to  look  behind  them,  but  to  escape  to 
the  mountains  lest  they  should  be  burned. 

Lot  and  his  daughters  obeyed,  and  did  not  turn  their 
heads  when  the  fire  from  heaven  rained  down  upon  the 
cities,  and  destroyed  them  and  their  inhabitants.  But  Lot's 
wife,  prompted  by  curiosity,  disobeyed.  In  punishment, 
she  was  changed  into  a  pillar  of  salt. 


35 

The  place  once  occupied  by  these  flourishing  cities  is 
now  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  land 
all  around  there  is  very  barren,  and  shows  signs  of  having 
once  been  a  prey  to  a  raging  fire.  Near  there  are  great 
mountains  of  rock  salt,  and  the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea 
are  so  briny  and  bitter  that  no  fish  can  live  in  them. 

Although  Lot  had  been  saved  from  destruction,  he  too 
sinned  greatly  soon  after  this,  and  like  Noah  gave  way  to 
the  vice  of  drunkenness.  In  punishment  for  this  sin,  God 
made  him  the  ancestor  of  two  wild  races,  the  Am'mon- 
ites  and  the  Mo'ab-ites,  who  took  these  names  from  Am'- 
mon  and  Mo'ab,  the  sons  of  Lot's  two  daughters.  These 
two  tribes,  as  you  will  see  later,  were  destined  to  cause 
many  sufferings  to  the  Jews. 

After  staying  a  long  while  at  his  home,  where  the  three 
strangers  had  visited  him,  Abraham  again  moved  toward 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  came  to  a 
place  called  Be-er-she'ba.  Here  lived  the  Phil'is-tines,  who 
were  then  ruled  by  a  king  named  A-bim'e-lech.  Abraham, 
fearing  him,  again  declared  that  Sarah  was  his  sister ;  so 
the  king  thought  that  he  would  marry  her. 

Warned  by  God  in  a  dream  that  Sarah  was  Abraham's 
wife,  Abimelech  gave  her  back  to  the  patriarch,  and 
added  many  gifts  of  great  value.  When  Abraham  saw 
how  generous  the  heathen  were,  he  regretted  that  he  had 
deceived  them,  and  prayed  God  to  bless  them.  This 
prayer  was  soon  granted,  and  the  Philistines  began  to 
enjoy  great  prosperity. 

It  was  during  Abraham's  sojourn  at  Beersheba  that 
his  faith  in  God's  promises  was  rewarded ;  for  Sarah  bore 
him  a  son  named  I'saac.    When  this  child  was  old  enough 


Painting  by  Cazin. 
(36) 


Hagar  and  Ishmael. 


37 

to  be  weaned,  Sarah  saw  Ishmael,  the  son  of  Hagar, 
mocking  him.  In  her  anger  she  begged  Abraham  to 
send  mother  and  son  both  away.  He  was  at  first  unwill- 
ing to  do  so,  but  God  comforted  him  with  the  promise  that 
Ishmael  would  be  the  ancestor  of  a  mighty  nation. 

Provided  with  a  scanty  supply  of  food  and  a  skin  bottle 
full  of  water,  Hagar  and  Ishmael  were  sent  away  from 
Abraham's  tent,  and  wandered  out  into  the  desert.  Here 
their  provisions  soon  gave  out,  and  Hagar,  seeing  no  hope 
of  saving  the  life  of  her  son,  left  him  lying  under  one  of 
the  desert  shrubs,  and  went  off  a  little  distance  because 
she  could  not  bear  to  see  him  die. 

But  God  had  not  forgotten  his  promise.  While  Hagar 
was  weeping  in  despair,  an  angel  bade  her  fear  nothing, 
repeated  the  promise  that  her  son  Ishmael  should  be  the 
ancestor  of  a  mighty  people,  and  then  pointed  out  a  well 
whence  she  might  draw  water  to  refresh  him.  Thus 
saved  from  death,  Ishmael  grew  and  dwelt  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  finally  took  a  wife  from  the  land  of  Egypt. 


^< 


IX.     ABRAHAM'S   SACRIFICE. 

ABRAHAM  had  already  undergone  many  trials,  and 
his  faith  had  been  tested  in  many  ways ;  but  the 
greatest  test  was  made  when  Isaac,  his  son,  was  about 
twenty  years  of  age.  God  now  asked  him  to  offer  up 
this  son,  upon  whom  rested  all  his  hopes. 

In  those  days  a  man  had  the  right  of  life  and   death 
over  his  wife    and   children,  and   human    sacrifices   were 


38 

not  uncommon.  Abraham's  conscience,  therefore,  did 
not  trouble  him  about  killing  Isaac  in  this  way ;  but 
what  almost  broke  his  heart  was  that  he  was  called 
upon  to  give  up  the  dearest  thing  he  had  on  earth,  the 
son  for  whom  he  had  waited  so  long. 

In  spite  of  his  grief,  he  nevertheless  prepared  to  obey 
the  command  which  he  had  received ;  and  he  "  took  the 
wood  of  the  burnt  offering,  and  laid  it  upon  Isaac,  his 
son."  The  young  man  strode  ahead  without  any  fear, 
while  his  aged  father  slowly  followed  him  up  the  moun- 
tain, carrying  the  fire,  and  also  the  knife  which  was  to 
be  used  for  the  sacrifice. 

Isaac,  who  had  often  gone  with  his  father  in  such  jour- 
neys, soon  noticed  something  unusual,  and  said  :  "  Behold 
the  fire  and  the  wood ;  but  where  is  the  lamb  for  a  burnt 
offering?" 

His  father's  heart  must  have  been  wrung  with  anguish 
at  this  innocent  question ;  but  his  faith  in  God  made  him 
strong,  and  prompted  the  answer  which  he  now  gave  to 
Isaac:   "God  will  provide." 

When  they  came  up  on  the  mountain,  and  the  wood  had 
been  properly  laid  upon  the  altar,  Isaac  allowed  himself 
to  be  bound  and  placed  upon  it.  The  last  moment  had 
come,  and  Abraham  "took  the  knife  to  slay  his  son." 

But  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stopped  him,  crying:  "Abra- 
ham, Abraham,  lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do 
thou  anything  unto  him ;  for  now  I  know  that  thou  fearest 
God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only 
son,  from  me." 

Looking  up  at  these  welcome  words,  Abraham  saw  a 
ram  in  the  thicket  near   him,  and,  as    God  commanded, 


39 

he  now  took  it  and  offered  it  up  in  sacrifice  instead  of  his 
son.  The  Lord  had  provided  a  victim,  and  the  patriarch's 
heart  overflowed  with  joy  as  he  gave  thanks  with  Isaac 
beside  him. 

Then  the  angel  of  the  Lord  spoke  again,  repeating  the 
promise  which  had  already  been  made  to  Abraham  about 
his  seed,  or  descendants  :  "  Because  thou  hast  done  this 
thing,  and  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son  .  .  . 
in  blessing  I  will  bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will 
multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven  and  as  the  sand 
which  is  upon  the  seashore;  .  .  .  and  in  thy  seed  shall 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed,  because  thou  hast 
obeyed  my  voice." 

The  spot  where  Isaac  was  thus  nearly  sacrificed  in 
obedience  to  God's  command,  was  later  the  site  of  the 
Temple  of  Je-ru'sa-lem,  of  which  you  will  hear  much. 
Abraham  now  said  that  it  should  have  for  its  name  the 
Hebrew  words  meaning  "the  Lord  will  provide."  Then 
he  joyfully  wended  his  way  down  the  mountain,  with  the 
son  who  had  been  given  back  to  him  from  the  dead,  and 
returned  to  his  home  at  Beersheba.. 

While  he  was  still  living  there,  Abraham  heard  of  the 
death  of  his  brother  Nahor,  who  left  twelve  sons.  A  few 
years  later  Sarah  died,  when  she  was  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  years  old.  To  bury  her,  Abraham  bought 
the  cave  of  Mach-pe'lah,  and  thus  his  first  real  posses- 
sion in  the  promised  land  was  a  family  tomb. 

After  Sarah  had  died,  Abraham's  chief  care  seems  to 
have  been  to  find  a  good  wife  for  Isaac,  his  son.  As  he 
did  not  wish  the  young  man  to  marry  any  of  the  heathen 
women  around  there,  he  finally  bade  E-li-e'zer,  his  faithful 


40 

steward,  journey  to  Mes-o-po-ta'mi-a,  where  his  kinsmen 
still  lived,  and  bring  back  a  wife  from  there. 

When  Eliezer  reached  the  country  where  the  sons  of 
Nahor  dwelt,  he  sat  down  by  a  well.  He  was  perplexed 
and  did  not  know  how  to  make  a  good  choice.  In  his 
trouble  he  began  to  pray  with  great  fervor,  and  said : 

"  O  Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  I  pray  thee  send 
me  good  speed  this  day,  and  show  kindness  unto  my 
master  Abraham.  Behold,  I  stand  here  by  the  well  of 
water,  and  the  daughters  of  the  men  of  the  city  come  out 
to  draw  water ;  and  let  it  come  to  pass  that  the  damsel  to 
whom  I  shall  say,  v  Let  down  thy  pitcher,  I  pray  thee,  that 
I  may  drink ; '  and  she  shall  say,  '  Drink,  and  I  will  give 
thy  camels  drink  also,'  —  let  the  same  be  she  that  thou  hast 
appointed  for  thy  servant  Isaac ;  and  thereby  shall  I  know 
that  thou  hast  shown  kindness  unto  my  master." 


3^C 


X.     THE   MESS   OF    POTTAGE. 

IN  answer  to  this  fervent  prayer,  Eliezer,  the  servant  of 
Abraham,  soon  saw  the  girls*  come  out  of  the  city 
with  their  great  water  jars ;  and  when  he  asked  them  for 
a  drink,  Re-bec'ca,  the  granddaughter  of  Nahor,  gave  him 
water  and  slaked  the  thirst  of  his  camels  also. 

Eliezer  felt  sure  that  this  was  the  maiden  whom  God 
intended  for  Isaac  ;  so  he  now  made  known  his  errand,  and 
offered  her  the  trinkets  which  he  had  brought  with  him. 
Rebecca  accepted  them,  and  led  him  to  her  brother  La'- 
ban,  who  gave  his  consent  to  the  marriage,  and  on  the 
next  day  Eliezer  bore  her  away. 


(4i) 


42 

Isaac  was  out  in  the  fields  at  eventide,  when  he  saw  the 
returning  caravan.  He  went  eagerly  forward  to  welcome 
his  unknown  bride,  and  then  led  her  unto  Sarah's  tent ; 
and  for  the  first  time  he  felt  comforted  for  his  mother's 
loss.  Isaac  was  about  forty  years  of  age  when  he  married 
Rebecca,  but  Abraham  was  then  still  hale  and  hearty,  and 
shortly  after  this  he  married  a  new  wife  called  Ke-tu'rah. 

Abraham  and  Keturah  had  many  children,  but  the 
father  sent  them  all  eastward,  after  giving  them  large 
flocks.  He  did  not  wish  them  to  stay  near  his  home,  lest 
they  should  some  day  lay  claim  to  the  inheritance  which 
was  intended  for  Isaac  only. 

Ten  years  after  Isaac's  marriage,  Shem,  the  son  of  Noah, 
died,  and  ten  years  after  that  Rebecca  bore  twin  sons, 
E'sau  (the  hairy)  and  Ja'cob  (the  supplanter).  These  two 
boys  quarreled  even  during  infancy,  and  this  was  the  first 
sign  of  the  'enmity  that  was  to  exist  between  the  two 
nations  which  sprang  from  them,  —  the  Is'ra-el-ites  and 
the  E'dom-ites. 

The  twin  brothers  were  as  different  in  looks  as  in  char- 
acter. Esau  was  rough,  hairy,  and  violent-tempered,  and 
loved  the  excitement  of  the  chase ;  but  Jacob  was  hand- 
some, smooth-faced,  and  gentle,  and  quietly  watched  his 
flocks  of  sheep. 

The  brothers  were  so  unlike  that  it  is  no  wonder  they 
did  not  love  each  other ;  but  their  natural  dislike  was  in- 
creased by  their  parents,  who,  instead  of  treating  them 
alike,  had  each  a  favorite.  Isaac  loved  Esau  most,  because 
he  ate  of  this  son's  venison,  but  Rebecca  preferred  the 
gentle  Jacob. 

The  brothers'  quarrels,  however,  were  not  very  serious 


43 

at  first,  and  Isaac  paid  no  heed  to  them.  His  attention 
was  all  taken  up  by  his  father,  Abraham,  who  fell  sick  at 
about  this  time.  Soon  after,  the  old  patriarch  died  at  the 
age  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five,  and  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  cave  of  Machpelah  by  his  two  sons  Isaac  and  Ish- 
mael. 

After  Abraham's  death,  Isaac  was  the  head  of  the 
Chosen  Race,  and  we  read  in  the  Bible  that  God  blessed 
him. 

Isaac's  twin  sons  were  about  thirty-two  years  old,  when 
Esau  one  day  came  back  from  the  hunt  almost  famished, 
and  found  Jacob  with  a  smoking  dish  of  lentil  pottage. 

In  those  days  it  was  not  easy  to  get  food  at  a  moment's 
notice,  and  Esau  was  so  hungry  that  he  eagerly  offered 
Jacob  his  birthright,  or  place  as  eldest  son,  in  exchange 
for  the  pottage.  Jacob  accepted,  and  thus,  although  he 
was  the  younger  son,  he  became  his  father's  heir,  and 
could  claim  as  his  share  the  promised  blessing  that  "  in 
his  seed  all  families  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed." 

Ever  since  then,  when  any  one  sells  anything  very 
precious  for  a  mere  trifle,  people  are  apt  to  say,  "  He 
has  sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage."  This  is 
because  they  remember  how  Esau  gave  up  the  hope  of 
being  the  ancestor  of  the  promised  Redeemer,  simply 
that  he  might  satisfy  the  cravings  of  his  hunger. 

At  first  Isaac  knew  nothing  of  this  exchange,  but  Re- 
becca was  well  aware  of  it.  Shortly  after  the  bargain 
had  been  made,  a  famine  came,  and  Isaac  was  forced  to 
leave  home,  and  to  wander  southward,  into  the  territory 
of  the  Philistines. 

He  was  about  to   go    farther   still,    and    even   journe- 


44 

down  into  E'gypt,  when  God  appeared  to  him,  bade  him 
remain  where  he  was,  and  solemnly  renewed  all  the 
promises  that  he  had  made  to  Abraham. 

While  Isaac  was  dwelling  here  among  the  Philistines, 
he  repeated  the  mistake  twice  made  by  his  father. 
When  asked  who  Rebecca  was,  he  replied :  "'She  is 
my  sister."  This  falsehood  was  soon  found  out  by  the 
Philistine  king,  but  he  nevertheless  allowed  Isaac  to  stay 
in  his  land. 

When  the  Philistines  saw  how  very  prosperous  Isaac 
was,  they  became  jealous  of  him  and  said :  "  Go  from 
us,  for  thou  art  much  mightier  than  we."  Then,  seeing 
that  he  did  not  depart,  they  tried  to  drive  him  away, 
by  claiming  in  turn  each  new  well  that  he  dug.  Isaac 
was  almost  in  despair,  but  he  finally  made  a  treaty  with 
them,  and  thus  obtained  peace. 


>XK< 


XL     JACOB'S    LADDER. 

ISAAC  was  more  than  one  hundred  years  old,  and  was 
nearly  blind,  when  he  made  up  his  mind  to  give  his 
solemn  blessing  to  his  heir.  This  ceremony  would  make 
known  to  all  men  that  this  was  the  son  chosen  to  con- 
tinue the  race  which  was  in  time  to  give  birth  to  the 
Redeemer. 

Isaac  intended  to  give  his  blessing  to  Esau,  and  bade 
him  prepare  a  venison  feast  for  the  occasion.  While 
Esau  was  away  hunting,  Rebecca  made  up  her  mind  to 
secure    the    birthright   for    her   favorite   Jacob ;    for    she 


(45) 


•      46 

knew  that  her  eldest  son  had  given  it  up  of  his  own 
free  will. 

As  she  did  not  dare  claim  it  openly,  she  tried  a  fraud. 
Jacob's  smooth  hands  and  arms  were  covered  with  hairy 
goat  skin,  so  that  they  would  seem  like  his  brother's  to  the 
touch,  and  a  savory  stew  was  prepared.  Isaac,  believing 
that  it  was  Esau  whom  he  touched,  then  gave  to  Jacob 
his  solemn  blessing  before  Esau  came  home  from  the 
chase. 

Esau,  upon  entering  the  tent,  found  out  what  had  been 
done,  and  realized  then  for  the  first  time  how  great  was 
his  loss.  Falling  at  his  father's  feet,  he  cried  wildly, 
"  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my  father !  " 

But  it  was  too  late.  The  solemn  blessing,  once  given, 
could  not  be  recalled.  Isaac  could  not  give  back  to  Esau 
the  first  place,  forfeited  by  weakness ;  nor  could  he  make 
Esau  the  ancestor  of  the  Messiah.  Nevertheless,  the 
father  blessed  his  elder  son  also,  and  promised  him  much 
worldly  prosperity  to  take  the  place  of  the  greater  bless- 
ing which  he  had  lost  forever. 

Now,  although  it  was  all  his  own  fault,  Esau  could  not 
forgive  Jacob  for  taking  his  place ;  and  he  secretly  made 
up  his  mind  to  kill  his  brother  as  soon  as  Isaac  had  passed 
away.  Rebecca  found  out  these  evil  intentions ;  and,  to 
prevent  any  harm  to  Jacob,  she  sent  him  to  visit  her 
brother  Laban  in  Mesopotamia,  under  the  pretext  of  find- 
ing a  wife  among  the  daughters  of  his  own  race. 

Esau  was  very  angry  when  he  heard  that  Jacob  was 
out  of  reach,  and  about  to  marry  in  a  way  that  would 
please  his  father  so  greatly.  To  win  back  his  father's  favor, 
Esau  sent  away  his  heathen  wives,  and  married  a  daugh- 


47 

ter  of  Ishmael ;  but  he  did  not  give  up  all  hopes  of  killing 
Jacob,  and  getting  back  his  inheritance. 

Jacob,  in  the  mean  while,  had  journeyed  on ;  and  when 
night  overtook  him  he  lay  down  upon  the  hard  ground, 
with  a  stone  for  a  pillow.  While  he  was  slumbering  thus, 
he  had  a  marvelous  dream,  and  fancied  that  he  saw  a 
great  ladder  leading  from  earth  to  heaven. 

On  this  ladder  were  "  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and 
descending,"  and  "the  Lord  stood  above  it  and  said:  'I 
am  the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac'  "  Then  God  promised  that  he  would  give  the  land 
to  Jacob's  descendants,  and  would  be  with  him  and  take 
care  of  him  wherever  he  went. 

When  Jacob  awoke,  he  piled  up  in  the  form  of  a  rude 
altar  the  stones  near  where  he  lay.  Then  he  poured  oil 
upon  them  to  consecrate  them,  and  called  the  spot  Bethel 
(the  house  of  God),  before  he  continued  his  journey. 

Jacob  was  about  seventy  years  old  when  he  came  to 
Mesopotamia,  and  sat  down  near  the  selfsame  well  where 
Eliezer  had  found  his  mother,  Rebecca.  Here  Jacob  first 
saw  Ra'chel,  Laban's  daughter,  who  invited  him  into  her 
father's  house,  where  he  tarried  for  a  month  as  a  guest. 

During  this  month,  Jacob  daily  saw  Rachel,  and  learned 
to  love  her  very  dearly ;  and  he  soon  entered  into  an 
agreement  with  Laban  whereby  he  would  obtain  her  hand 
in  marriage  at  the  end  of  seven  years,  in  exchange  for  his 
faithful  services  as  shepherd. 

Such  was  the  love  which  Jacob  felt  for  Rachel  that 
these  seven  years  of  servitude  "  seemed  unto  him  but  a 
few  days."  As  soon  as  they  were  ended,  however,  he 
went  to  seek  Laban,  and  eagerly  claimed  his  bride. 


48 

Laban  prepared  for  the  wedding,  but,  instead  of  giving 
up  Rachel,  he  married  Jacob  to  his  eldest  daughter,  Le'ah. 
The  bride  was  so  closely  veiled  during  the  ceremony  that 
Jacob  did  not  find  out  the  fraud  until  it  was  too  late.  He 
was  very  angry  indeed  at  this  deception,  and  refused  to 
be  pacified  until  Laban  promised  to  give  him  Rachel  also; 
but  this  was  on  condition  that  Jacob  should  continue  to 
serve  his  father-in-law  for  another  term  of  seven  years. 

As  in  those  days  it  was  quite  customary  to  have  several 
wives  at  once,  Jacob  consented,  and  soon  married  Rachel. 
Then,  at  the  request  of  Rachel  and  Leah,  he  also  married 
their  handmaidens.  During  the  seven  years  which  fol- 
lowed, Leah  and  the  two  servants  gave  birth  to  ten  sons, 
—  Reu'ben,  Sim'e-on,  Le'vi,  Ju'dah,  Is'sa-char,  Zeb'u-lun, 
Dan,  Naph'ta-li,  Gad,  and  Ash'er.  Leah  also  had  a 
daughter  named  Di'nah ;  but  Rachel,  Jacob's  favorite 
wife,  had  no  children  at  all. 


>X*c 


XII.     JACOB'S    RETURN    HOME. 

AS  we  have  seen,  Rachel  was  the  only  one  of  Jacob's 
wives  who  had  no  children.  She  was  much  grieved 
to  have  no  son,  because  every  Jewish  woman  was  anxious 
to  have  one,  as  he  might  be  the  Redeemer  promised  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden.  Rachel  mourned  greatly,  but  it  was  only 
when  the  second  term  of  Jacob's  servitude  was  near  its  end 
that  she  became  the  mother  of  Jo'seph. 

As  this  son  was  the  child  of   his  favorite  wife,  Jacob 
loved    him    more   than   all   the   others ;    and,  immediately 


49 

after  his  birth,  the  father  tried  to  leave  Laban,  and 
become  his  own  master  once  more.  But  Laban  would 
not  let  him  go,  and  promised  that  if  he  would  only  serve 
for  a  third  term  of  seven  years,  he  should  receive  a  cer- 
tain part  of  the  produce  of  the  flocks. 

Jacob  consented,  and  during  these  seven  years  his  herds 
prospered  remarkably  well.  The  time  was  nearly  at  an 
end,  when  he  was  favored  by  a  vision,  in  which  he  was 
told  to  go  back  to  the  place  where  he  was  born,  with  his 
wives,  children,  and  all  the  wealth  that  he  had  won. 

As  he  feared  that  Laban  would  again  try  to  detain  him, 
Jacob  got  ready  in  secret,  and  stole  away  during  the  night. 
Thus,  twenty  years  after  he  had  left  his  father,  he  again 
crossed  the  desert,  and  came  to  the  Holy  Land. 

Laban  was  very  much  displeased  when  he  found  that 
Jacob  was  gone.  In  his  anger  he  set  out  to  pursue  his 
son-in-law,  and  soon  overtook  him.  Then  he  reproached 
Jacob  for  going  away  without  taking  leave  of  him,  and 
asked  him  to  give  back  the  household  gods,  which  Rachel 
had  carried  off. 

Although  Laban  was  at  first  so  angry,  he  parted  peace- 
fully with  Jacob,  because  God  warned  him  not  to  do  his 
servant  any  harm.  While  still  on  the  homeward  journey, 
Jacob  had  another  vision,  and  saw  the  angels  camping 
around  him,  to  keep  him  from  all  harm. 

As  he  drew  near  home,  his  memory  of  the  past  grew 
clearer,  and  he  remembered  that  he  had  parted  from  his 
brother  Esau  in  anger.  He  now  began  to  fear  that  his 
brother  might  still  wish  to  kill  him,  and,  hoping  to  disarm 
Esau's  wrath,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  say  that  he  was 
coming. 

STO.    OF    CHO.    PEOP. — 4 


5o 

This  man  soon  came  back  and  said  that  Esau  was  com- 
ing to  meet  his  brother,  with  an  escort  of  four  hundred 
fighting  men.  Jacob  was  terrified  when  he  heard  this. 
In  his  distress  he  called  to  God  for  help,  and  then,  know- 
ing that  a  man  who  wishes  aid  should  exert  himself,  he 
got  ready  to  meet  the  coming  danger. 

First,  he  sent  a  princely  present  of  fine  cattle  to  Esau ; 
and  then  he  placed  his  caravan  so  that  Rachel  and  his 
best-loved  child  should  be  in  the  rear,  and  thus  run  less 
risk  in  case  he  was  obliged  to  fight.  Thus  the  caravan 
slowly  passed  over  the  ford  of  a  little  river ;  and  Jacob, 
after  seeing  the  people  all  cross  in  safety,  staid  near  the 
edge  of  the  stream. 

Here  he  met  a  stranger,  who  fell  upon  him  and  wrestled 
with  him  all  night.  It  was  only  near  morning  that  Jacob 
found  out  that  his  opponent  was  an  angel ;  for  the  stranger 
touched  the  sinews  of  one  of  Jacob's  thighs  and  lamed  him 
for  life. 

In  spite  of  this  bodily  injury,  Jacob  clung  fast  to  the 
angel,  crying  :  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me." 
Thanks  to  his  perseverance,  he  obtained  the  blessing  he 
wanted,  and  the  angel  told  him  that  he  would  henceforth 
be  called  Is'ra-el,  or  soldier  of  God. 

Limping  onward,  Jacob  soon  overtook  the  caravan. 
Then,  hastening  to  the  head  of  it,  he  ran  forward  to  meet 
his  brother,  Esau,  whose  anger  he  hoped  to  dispel  by  fall- 
ing down  upon  his  face  before  him,  and  begging  his 
pardon. 

Esau,  however,  had  entirely  forgotten  his  wrath.  He 
put  his  arms  around  his  brother's  neck,  kissed  him,  and 
proposed  that  they  should  always  live  side  by  side.     Jacob 


5i 

was  very  glad  to  be  on  good  terms  with  Esau  once  more, 
but  he  refused  this  kind  offer,  because  he  knew  that  their 
servants  would  never  agree. 

This  meeting  over,  Jacob  continued  his  journey,  passed 
over  the  Jordan,  and  came  to  She'chem,  where  he  bought 
a  piece  of  land.  Here  he  pitched  his  tents,  and  built  an 
altar  to  God,  and  here  his  daughter  Dinah  was  carried  off 
by  the  She'chem-ites. 

Simeon  and  Levi,  two  of  Jacob's  sons,  were  anxious  to 
punish  these  men  for  robbing  them  of  their  only  sister. 
In  doing  so,  however,  they  behaved  so  cruelly  that  Jacob 
was  angry  with  them,  and  said  that  they  had  forfeited 
their  right  to  inherit  the  blessing  which  he  had  received 
from  his  father  Isaac. 


>X*c 


XIII.     JOSEPH'S   DREAMS. 

JACOB  did  not  remain  very  long  at  Shechem,  but  soon 
passed  on  to  Bethel,  where  he  renewed  his  covenant 
with  God.  While  on  a  journey  from  this  place,  his  be- 
loved wife  Rachel  died,  after  giving  birth  to  a  second  son, 
named  Ben'ja-min.  Rachel  was  buried  near  Bethlehem, 
and  over  her  grave  still  rises  a  rude  dome,  which  is  called 
her  tomb,  and  is  often  visited  by  Jews,  Christians,  and 
Mussulmans. 

At  the  next  resting  place,  Reuben,  Jacob's  oldest  son, 
forfeited  his  birthright  by  doing  wrong ;  and  soon  after- 
wards the  caravan  reached  Isaac's  encampment.  Here 
they  found  the  patriarch  still  alive,  although  he  was  now 


52 

one  hundred  and  sixty-five  years  old ;  and  here  Jacob 
sojourned  until  his  father's  death,  fifteen  years  later. 

Jacob  and  Esau  buried  their  father,  Isaac,  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  where  Abraham,  Sarah,  and  Rebecca  already 
lay ;  and  then  Esau  journeyed  away  to  seek  pasture  for 
his  flocks.  His  family  is  little  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  but 
we  are  told  that  his  descendants  were  the  Edomites,  who 
became  the  enemies  of  the  Chosen  Race. 

Jacob  went  on  dwelling  in  the  Land  of  Ca'naan,  and 
because  he  "loved  Joseph  more  than  all  his  children,"  he 
was  very  partial  to  him.  To  show  his  affection,  he  gave 
this  favorite  child  a  princely  robe  of  many  colors. 

When  Jacob's  other  sons  saw  that  their  father  preferred 
Joseph,  they  grew  angry  and  envious.  These  wicked 
feelings  grew  worse  when  Joseph  told  about  two  dreams 
which  he  had  had,  and  which  were  as  follows: 

In  the  first  dream  he  thought  he  was  in  the  midst  of  a 
harvest  field,  where  he  and  his  brothers  were  binding 
grain,  and  he  said  that  he  saw  their  sheaves  bow  down 
and  do  homage  to  his,  which  alone  stood  boldly  upright. 
In  the  second  dream,  "the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the 
eleven  stars  made  obeisance"  to  him. 

These  dreams  were,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
time,  considered  as  signs  of  the  future ;  and  they  were 
thought  to  mean  that  Joseph  would  rule  over  his  brothers. 

The  jealousy  of  the  elder  brothers  was  made  still 
greater  by  this  way  of  interpreting  the  dreams ;  and  they 
began  to  plot  how  to  get  rid  of  Joseph.  They  soon  had  a 
chance  to  do  what  they  wished ;  for,  before  long,  Jacob 
sent  Joseph  alone  to  Shechem,  to  inquire  how  his  sons 
and  flocks  were  getting  along  there. 


53 

The  brothers  recognized  Joseph  from  afar  by  his  bright 
robe,  and  hastily  consulted  together  how  they  might  kill 
him.  Reuben  alone  wished  to  save  Joseph,  but  he  did  not 
dare  oppose  his  brothers  openly  ;  so  he  now  suggested 
that  instead  of  shedding  the  lad's  blood  it  would  be  better 
to  put  him  into  an  empty  cistern  near  by. 

The  wicked  brothers  agreed,  and  after  taking  off 
Joseph's  coat  of  many  colors,  they  lowered  the  poor  boy 
into  the  cistern,  whence  he  could  not  escape  without  aid. 
Then  they  stained  his  gay  garment  with  the  blood  of  a 
kid,  and  sent  it  back  to  Jacob,  who  thought  that  his  favor- 
ite son  had  been  devoured  by  the  wild  beasts,  and  bitterly 
mourned  his  loss. 

Before  Reuben  could  carry  out  his  kind  intentions,  and 
release  Joseph  from  the  empty  cistern,  the  other  brothers 
sold  him  to  a  caravan  of  passing  merchants  for  twenty 
pieces  of  silver  ;  and  when  Reuben  came  back,  after  a  short 
absence,  Joseph  was  already  well  on  his  way  to  Egypt, 
where  he  was  to  be  sold  as  a  slave. 

We  are  told  very  little  about  the  after  lives  of  the  older 
sons  of  Jacob,  although  they  married  and  had  many  chil- 
dren. The  story  now  follows  Joseph  into  Egypt,  where  he 
became  the  slave  of  Pot'i-phar,  an  officer  at  the  king's  court. 
Here  Joseph  worked  so  faithfully  that  he  was  soon  pro- 
moted to  the  office  of  steward,  or  overseer  of  all  the 
slaves  of  the  household. 

He  had  not  forgotten  his  father's  teachings  during  this 
sojourn  in  a  heathen  land,  and  when  Potiphar's  wife 
tempted  him  to  do  wrong,  he  refused  to  listen  to  her. 
This  made  her  so  angry  that  she  had  him  sent  to  prison, 
where,  in  due  time,  Joseph  became  the  jailer's  assistant. 


Painting  by  Vernet. 
(54) 


Joseph's  Brethren. 


55 


XIV.     PHARAOH'S    DREAMS. 

IN  the  course  of  his  daily  work  in  the  prison,  Joseph 
often  talked  with  the  captives,  and  thus  he  once  heard 
the  king's  baker  tell  a  strange  dream.  This  man  said  that 
as  he  was  passing  along  with  three  baskets  of  freshly 
baked  loaves  on  his  head,  the  birds  of  heaven  swooped 
down  and  ate  them  up. 

As  the  baker  seemed  anxious  to  have  an  explanation  of 
his  dream,  Joseph  told  him  that  the  three  baskets  stood 
for  three  days ;  and  that  within  this  time  he  would  be 
hanged,  and  his  body  left  a  prey  to  the  birds  of  the  air. 

The  king's  chief  cupbearer  also  related  a  dream,  in 
which  he  fancied  that  he  pressed  the  juice  of  the  grapes 
from  three  branches  into  the  king's  cup,  and  gave  it  to 
his  royal  master.  Joseph  then  told  him  that  his  dream 
meant  that  in  three  days'  time  he  would  be  back  in  the 
palace  ;  and  Joseph  begged  the  cupbearer  to  urge  Pha'raoh 
(as  the  king  was  called)  to  set  him  free  also. 

Both  these  predictions  came  true.  The  baker  was 
hanged,  and  the  cupbearer  was  recalled  to  the  palace, 
where  he  entirely  forgot  Joseph.  But  two  years  later  the 
king  himself  was  haunted  by  a  dream  which  none  of  the 
learned  men  at  his  court  could  interpret. 

The  cupbearer  now  ventured  to  suggest  that  perhaps 
Joseph  could  be  more  fortunate  than  the  wise  men,  and 
the  king  at  once  sent  for  him.  When  Joseph  appeared, 
Pharaoh  said  that  he  had  seen  seven  fat  cows  and  seven 
lean  cows  rise  up  out  of  the  river.  The  lean  cows  ate  up 
their  fat  companions,  but  seemed  no  larger  than  before. 


56 

This  dream  was  followed  by  another,  in  which  a  stalk  of 
branching  Egyptian  wheat  brought  forth  seven  full  ears 
which  were  at  once  consumed  by  seven  empty  ears. 

When  called  upon  to  give  an  interpretation  of  these 
two  strange  dreams,  Joseph  said  that  the  seven  fat  cows 
and  the  seven  full  ears  meant  seven  years  of  plenty,  but 
the  lean  cows  and  the  empty  ears  stood  for  seven  years 
of  drought  and  famine  which  would  follow  the  seven 
years  of  plenty.  During  this  time  all  the  grain  left  over 
from  the  good  harvests  would  scarcely  serve  to  keep  the 
people  alive. 

Awed  by  this  explanation  of  the  dreams  which  had 
baffled  his  wisest  men,  Pharaoh  now  asked  Joseph  what 
he  had  better  do.  In  answer,  the  young  Hebrew  advised 
the  king  to  appoint  a  prime  minister,  who  should  buy  all 
the  surplus  grain,  during  the  years  of  plenty,  and  store  it 
away  for  future  use ;  and  Pharaoh  was  so  pleased  that  he 
gave  this  office  to  Joseph. 

Raised  thus  suddenly  from  the  position  of  a  mean  slave 
and  prisoner  to  the  very  highest  rank,  Joseph  was  given 
full  power  to  carry  out  the  wise  plan  that  he  had  sug- 
gested. All  honor  was  shown  him,  and  he  was  even 
married  to  an  Egyptian  princess,  who  became  the  mother 
of  his  two  sons,  Ma-nas'seh  and  E'phra-im. 

During  the  seven  years  of  plenty,  Joseph  bought  all 
the  surplus  grain,  and  stored  it  away  carefully  in  the 
large  provision  houses  that  were  built  by  his  orders  in 
different  parts  of  the  kingdom.  So,  when  the  years  of 
plenty  were  over  and  the  famine  began,  the  Egyptians 
knew  no  want,  thanks  to  Joseph's  wise  foresight. 

The  famine  spread  not  only  over  Egypt,  but  also  all 


f  "    or  THI  ^^ 

through  Canaan,  Syr'i-a,  and  A-ra'bi-a ;  and  at  the  end  of 
two  years,  all  the  money  of  the  Ca'naan-ites  and  the 
E-gyp'tians  had  flowed  into  the  king's  treasury.  Then, 
by  Joseph's  advice,  Pharaoh  accepted  the  cattle  and  lands 
of  his  people,  in  exchange  for  grain  ;  and  thus  when  the 
famine  was  ended,  money,  cattle,  and  lands  all  belonged 
to  him. 

Still  guided  by  Joseph,  the  Egyptian  king  then  divided 
this  land  among  the  people,  who  in  payment  were  to  give 
him  one  fifth  of  the  produce.  This  method  made  the  king 
very  rich  indeed,  and  helped  the  people  not  only  to  live 
through  the  time  of  famine,  but  also  to  begin  cultivating 
the  soil  again  as  soon  as  the  drought  was  ended. 

Although  the  Egyptians  did  not  suffer  much  during 
the  time  of  famine,  the  misery  in  all  the  countries  round 
about  was  very  great.  Jacob  heard  that  grain  could  be 
bought  in  Egypt,  so  he  decided  to  send  ten  of  his  sons 
thither,  in  search  of  food  for  their  families  and  flocks. 
He  kept  Benjamin  at  home,  for  he  was  afraid  that  some- 
thing might  happen  to  him. 

The  ten  brothers  started  out,  with  camels  and  donkeys, 
and  came  before  Joseph,  who  at  once  knew  who  they  were. 
Seeing  that  they  did  not  know  him,  he  questioned  them 
with  pretended  severity,  and  made  believe  to  consider 
them  as  spies.  But  finally  he  let  nine  of  them  go  home 
with  a  supply  of  grain.  He  kept  Simeon  a  prisoner, 
however,  and  said  that  he  would  not  let  him  go,  or  give 
them  any  more  grain,  until  they  brought  their  brother 
Benjamin  with  them,  as  proof  that  the  story  which  they 
had  told  was  true. 


58 


XV.     JACOB    IN    EGYPT. 

ON  their  way  home  with  the  grain  they  had  bought, 
Joseph's  brothers  found  out  that  their  money  had 
been  put  in  their  sacks  with  the  grain,  and  they  wondered 
greatly.  The  food  which  they  brought  from  Egypt  was 
soon  eaten  up,  for  their  family  was  a  very  large  one.  As 
the  famine  was  still  raging,  they  soon  saw  that  they  would 
be  obliged  to  go  to  Egypt  to  get  some  more  grain. 

They  did  not  dare  appear  before  Joseph  without  Ben- 
jamin, so  they  begged  their  old  father  to  let  him  go  with 
them.  Jacob  would  not  let  him  go  at  first,  but  finally  he 
yielded  to  the  brothers'  entreaties,  and  the  little  caravan 
again  went  down  into  Egypt. 

Joseph  looked  with  pleasure  upon  his  little  brother, 
who,  of  course,  did  not  know  him  ;  and  then,  wishing  to 
find  out  whether  his  elder  brothers  could  now  be  trusted, 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  try  them.  By  his  order  the 
travelers  were  feasted  in  his  own  palace,  where  he  sent 
all  the  best  dishes  to  Benjamin,  and  then  the  eleven 
brothers  were  sent  away  with  full  sacks  of  grain. 

They  had  not  gone  very  far  before  an  Egyptian  officer 
came  riding  up  in  haste,  and  accused  them  of  stealing 
one  of  Joseph's  silver  cups.  Although  they  indignantly 
cried  that  they  were  not  thieves,  the  officer  searched 
their  bags  carefully,  and  found  the  silver  cup  in  Ben- 
jamin's sack,  where  it  had  been  hidden  by  Joseph's 
order. 

The  officer  seized  Benjamin  to  put  him  in  prison,  and 
the  elder  brothers  went  back  with  him  to  Joseph's  court. 


59 

There  they  offered  to  remain  in  prison  in  Benjamin's 
stead,  if  Joseph  would  only  allow  him  to  go  back  to  Jacob, 
who,  they  said,  would  die  of  grief  if  his  youngest  son  did 
not  return. 

Touched  by  their  affection  for  their  old  father  and  young 
brother,  and  sure  that  they  were  sorry  for  the  past,  Joseph 
now  made  himself  known  to  his  brothers.  He  kissed 
Benjamin,  shedding  tears  of  joy,  and  freely  forgave  the 
ten  others  when  they  fell  at  his  feet  and  begged  his 
pardon.  Then  he  let  them  go  home,  giving  them  many 
messages  for  Jacob,  who  was  invited  to  come  down  into 
Egypt,  with  all  his  family,  and  stay  there  as  long  as  the 
famine  lasted. 

When  Jacob  heard  that  Joseph  was  not  dead,  as  he 
supposed,  he  was  very  happy  indeed.  Then,  as  God  told 
him  in  a  vision  to  go  down  into  Egypt,  and  said  that  his 
descendants  should  be  brought  up  again  into  the  prom- 
ised land,  he  set  out  with  all  his  family. 

By  this  time,  Jacob  had  seventy-five  sons  and  grand- 
sons ;  for  his  children  were  all  married  and  so  were  some 
of  his  grandchildren.  The  caravan  soon  reached  Egypt, 
where  Joseph  tenderly  welcomed  his  old  father,  and  even 
presented  him  and  five  of  his  sons  to  the  Egyptian  king. 

Pharaoh  received  the  Israelites  (as  they  were  called 
from  Jacob's  new  name  of  Israel)  very  graciously  indeed, 
and  gave  them  the  best  pasture  land  in  Egypt;  and 
Joseph  continued  to  supply  them  with  all  the  grain  they 
needed,  as  long  as  the  famine  lasted. 

Here  in  Egypt  were  spent  the  last  years  of  Jacob's 
pilgrimage  ;  for  he,  like  all  the  patriarchs,  said  that  he 
was   but  a  pilgrim   and  a  stranger   upon  earth.      Jacob 


6o 


dwelt  with  his  sons  in  peace  and  plenty,  and  he  lived 
long  enough  to  see  his  family  increase'  greatly. 

Feeling  that  his  end  was  near,  he  finally  called  all  his 
sons,  gave  them  his  blessing,  and  spoke  a  prophecy  about 
what  was  to  happen  to  their  descendants,  who,  he  said, 
would  form  twelve  tribes  bearing  their  names.  Joseph 
and  his  two  sons,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  first  received 
a  special  blessing,  and  then  came  the  turn  of  the  other 
sons. 

As  Reuben,  Simeon,  and  Levi  had  been  deprived  of 
their  birthright  in  punishment  for  their  sins,  Judah  was 
selected  to  receive  the  chief  blessing,  and  his  father  told 
him  that  the  power  should  remain  in  the  hands  of  his 
family  until  the  prophecies  came  true. 

Then,  having  bidden  his  sons  bury  him  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  where  his  ancestors  lay,  Jacob  died  when  he 
was  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  years  old.  Joseph  had 
his  father's  body  embalmed,  after  the  Egyptian  fashion, 
and  then,  having  obtained  Pharaoh's  permission,  he  and 
his  brothers  carried  it  to  Machpelah. 

When  they  came  back  to  Egypt,  the  brothers  began 
to  fear  that  Joseph  would  avenge  himself  for  his  injuries, 
now  that  his  father  was  dead.  Joseph  soon  perceived 
this  fear;  so  he  "comforted  them,  and  spake  kindly  unto 
them,"  for  he  did  not  owe  them  a  grudge  for  what  they 
had  done. 

Joseph  lived  fifty-four  years  after  his  father's  death, 
and  saw  his  children  to  the  fourth  generation.  Before 
dying,  he  gave  orders  that  his  body  should  be  embalmed, 
and  carried  back  to  the  promised  land  when  the  Israel- 
ites went  back  there  to  live,  as  God  had  foretold. 


6i 


XVI.     THE  STORY   OF  JOB. 

THE  grandest  Hebrew  poem  ever  written,  and  the 
oldest  that  is  preserved,  is  supposed  to  belong  to 
this  period.  You  will  find  it  translated  in  the  Bible, 
where  it  is  called  the  Book  of  Job.  It  tells^  the  story  of 
a  chief  in  the  land  of  Uz,  who  was  very  rich. 

This  man  Job  is  described  as  a  good  and  honest  man, 
of  whom  God  himself  said  that  he  was  without  his  like 
in  all  the  East.  Satan,  the  tempter,  appears  again  in 
this  poem,  and,  after  visiting  all  the  earth,  presents 
himself  before  God,  who  inquires : 

"  Whence  comest  thou  ?  " 

"  From  going  to  and  fro  in  the  earth,"  answers  Satan, 
boldly. 

God  next  asks  him  whether  he  has  seen  Job,  and 
whether  he  does  not  admire  the  man  for  his  great  good- 
ness. As  Satan  would  like  all  men  to  be  as  wicked  as 
himself,  he  answers  that  Job  is  good  only  because  he  is 
so  prosperous,  and  that  if  he  were  only  tried  he  would 
soon  forget  his  piety,  and  even  curse  his  Maker  to  his 
face. 

To  prove  the  loyalty  of  his  servant  Job,  God  now  gives 
Satan  permission  to  try  him  in  every  way,  and  poor  Job 
suddenly  finds  himself  without  wealth  or  children.  But 
his  patience  is  quite  as  great  as  his  losses,  and  although 
he  weeps  for  his  children,  he  humbly  says  :  "  The  Lord 
gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 

As  Satan  has  failed  in  this  test,  he  now  gets  permis- 


Painting  by  Bonnat. 
(62) 


Job. 


63 

sion  from  God  to  inflict  terrible  bodily  sufferings  upon 
Job,  and  to  make  his  wife  torment  him  greatly.  But, 
although  Job  is  racked  with  pain,  he  merely  says  :  "What! 
shall  we  receive  good  at  the  hand  of  God,  and  shall  we 
not  receive  evil  ?  " 

The  second  test  having  also  failed,  Satan  now  sends 
Job's  three  friends  to  him,  and  they  talk  to  him,  and  in- 
sist that  he  must  have  committed  some  great  sin,  or  he 
would  not  suffer  so  much. 

These  friends  go  on  reasoning  with  him  for  many 
days,  and  they  ask  him  many  questions,  all  of  which  he 
answers  very  patiently.  Indeed,  through  all  their  long 
talk,  Job  remains  so  gentle  that  it  is  customary  even  now 
to  describe  great  patience  by  saying  that  a  person  is  "  as 
patient  as  Job." 

After  Satan  has  done  his  very  worst,  and  has  tormented 
the  poor  man  in  every  way,  God  comes  to  reprove  the 
friends,  and  to  defend  Job.  God  now  restores  him  to 
health,  wealth,  and  prosperity,  giving  him  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters,  and  allowing  him  to  live  long  enough  to 
see  his  descendants  to  the  fourth  generation. 

The  story  of  the  Book  of  Job  has  been  told  here  because 
it  is  probably  much  older  than  the  Book  of  Ex'o-dus,  the 
second  book  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  first  book  of  the 
Bible  ends  with  the  story  of  Joseph ;  and  in  the  Book  of 
Exodus  you  will  hear  how  the  descendants  of  his  father 
Jacob,  or  Israel,  escaped  from  Egypt  after  living  there 
about  four  hundred  years. 


64 


XVII.     THE   TEN    PLAGUES. 

AT  this  time,  the  Egyptian  king,  or  Pharaoh,  was  a  man 
who  had  never  seen  Joseph,  and  cared  but  little  for 
his  kinsmen.  He  was  a  very  stern  ruler,  and  was  afraid 
that  the  people  of  Israel  would  either  join  his  enemies,  or 
leave  his  land,  where  they  were  doing  him  good  service. 
So  he  made  them  his  slaves,  and  had  them  watched  by 
Egyptian  overseers. 

The  Pharaohs  were  all  great  builders,  and  this  one 
employed  the  Israelites  in  making  bricks  for  the  erection 
of  two  great  treasure  cities.  While  they  were  thus  forced 
to  work  hard,  the  Israelites  were  very  unkindly  treated ; 
but  they  had  many  children,  and  were  steadily  increasing 
in  numbers.  Pharaoh,  seeing  this,  now  gave  orders  that 
all  their  male  children  should  be  killed  as  soon  as  born. 

The  nurses  who  received  these  orders  were  God-fearing 
women,  and  did  not  obey  them.  Then  Pharaoh  sent  his 
officers  to  throw  all  the  boy  babies  into  the  Nile  River. 

There  was,  in  those  days,  a  descendant  of  Levi,  who 
married  and  had  two  children,  —  Mir'i-am  and  Aar'on. 
Shortly  after  Pharaoh  had  given  orders  that  all  the  boy 
babies  should  perish,  a  third  child  was  born  to  this  Le'- 
vite.  As  this  baby  was  a  son,  the  anxious  mother  hid  him 
for  three  months,  lest  the  officers  should  find  and  kill  him. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  the  mother  felt  that  she  could 
not  keep  the  babe  hidden  much  longer.  So  she  placed 
him  in  a  little  ark,  or  cradle,  among  the  reeds  by  the  side 
of  the  river,  and  bade  Miriam  stand  close  by  to  watch  over 
her  baby  brother. 


65 

Soon  after,  Pharaoh's  daughter,  the  haughty  Egyptian 
princess,  came  down  to  the  river  to  bathe.  Her  glances 
were  caught  by  the  strange  object  in  the  bulrushes ;  and 
when  it  was  brought  to  her,  and  she  saw  the  smiling  baby, 
she  said  that  she  would  adopt  it. 

Miriam  then  stepped  forward  and  offered  to  find  a  nurse 
for  the  child.  Her  offer  was  accepted,  and  thus  the  boy 
Mo'ses  grew  up  in  the  king's  palace  under  the  care  of 
his  own  mother,  who  had  saved  her  child  to  become  one 
of  the  greatest  men  the  world  has  ever  known. 

We  know  nothing  about  the  early  youth  and  manhood 
of  Moses,  but  his  mother  must  surely  have  taught  him  to 
honor  God.  She  also  told  him  the  story  of  his  adoption, 
and  of  the  Chosen  Race  of  Israel,  to  which  he  belonged. 

Moses  received  an  Egyptian  education  in  Pharaoh's  pal- 
ace, where  he  became  "mighty  in  Words  and  in  deeds." 
He  was  about  forty  years  of  age,  when  he  once  saw  an 
Egyptian  overseer  beating  one  of  the  poor  Israelites, 
whose  lot  had  daily  grown  harder  to  bear. 

In  a  fit  of  anger,  Moses  fell  upon  the  cruel  Egyptian, 
and  killed  him.  No  one  saw  the  murder,  but  the  deed  was 
soon  found  out,  and  Moses  fled  into  the  desert,  near  the  Red 
Sea.  Here  he  took  refuge  among  the  Mid'i-an-ites,  who 
were  descendants  of  Abraham  and  his  last  wife,  Keturah. 
While  there,  Moses  saw  that  some  rude  shepherds  would 
not  allow  Jeth'ro's  daughters  to  come  near  the  well  to 
water  their  sheep.  He  helped  the  maidens,  and  then 
went  home  with  them  and  became  their  father's  shepherd. 
Soon  after  this  Moses  married  one  of  these  girls,  and 
became  the  father  of  two  sons. 

Moses   remained   here    in    the   desert   forty   years,  and 

STO.    OF   CHO.    PROP. 5 


66 


during  that  time  the  Egyptian  king  died  and  was  followed 
by  another  Pharaoh  fully  as  cruel  as  he.  This  new  ruler 
oppressed  the  people  of  Israel  so  greatly  that  they  began 
to  pray  to  be  set  free ;  and  God,  remembering  his  promises 
to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  prepared  to  help  them. 

One  day,  when  Moses  was  alone  with  his  sheep,  he  saw 
a  bush  near  him  all  wrapped  in  flames.  Strange  to  relate, 
however,  the  dry  branches  were  not  burned  up  ;  so  Moses 
drew  near  in  wonder  to  examine  the  bush. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  voice,  telling  him  to  take  off  his 
shoes,  because  the  ground  whereon  he  stood  was  holy. 
Then  God  spoke  to  him,  gave  him  a  message  for  Pharaoh, 
and  bade  him  go  and  lead  the  chosen  people  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  and  into  the  desert. 

This  was  a  very  hard  task,  and  Moses,  who  had  grown 
old  and  prudent,  was  afraid  to  undertake  it.  As  he  did 
not  dare  to  refuse  openly,  he  began  making  excuses ;  but 
God  now  cut  these  excuses  short  and  bade  Moses  throw 
down  his  rod.  As  soon  as  he  had  done  so,  God  changed 
the  stick  into  a  serpent.  Then  he  restored  it  to  its  usual 
form,  and  made  Moses  a  leper.  God  soon  cured  him  of 
this  loathsome  disease,  however,  and  promised  to  per- 
form many  miracles  to  help  him. 

Moses  was  encouraged  by  this  promise,  and  by  the  per- 
mission to  have  his  brother  Aaron  act  as  his  spokesman, 
for  he  himself  was  slow  of  speech ;  so  he  now  undertook 
to  carry  out  the  Lord's  commands.  Armed  only  with 
rods,  he  and  Aaron  presented  themselves  before  Pharaoh. 
There  they  told  the  king  that  the  Lord  had  ordered  them 
to  lead  the  Israelites  into  the  desert,  to  celebrate  a  feast. 

The  King  of  Egypt,  who  did  not  worship  God,  haughtily 


67 

asked,  "Who  is  the  Lord,  that  I  should  obey  his  voice?" 
And  he  said  that  he  would  not  let  the  people  go. 

To  force  him  to  obey  God's  command,  Moses  raised  his 
wand,  and  called  down,  one  after  another,  ten  terrible 
plagues  upon  the  Egyptians.  Thus  the  waters  were 
changed  into  blood;  frogs  overran  all  the  land;  lice,  flies, 
and  sickness  tormented  man  and  beast,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple suffered  tortures  from  boils. 

Then  came  terrible  plagues  of  hail,  locusts,  and  dark- 
ness so  intense  that  people  still  use  the  expression  "  as 
dark  as  Egypt."  The  king,  frightened  by  each  new 
plague,  always  promised  to  let  the  people  go  as  soon  as 
it  was  removed ;  but,  when  all  danger  was  over,  he  as 
often  broke  his  promise,  and  kept  the  Israelites  at  work. 

Finally,  God  sent  an  angel  to  kill  all  the  firstborn  of 
the  Egyptians,  and  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  this 
messenger  passed  from  door  to  door,  doing  as  the  Lord 
had  commanded.  By  Moses'  order,  all  the  Israelites  had 
smeared  their  doorposts  with  the  blood  of  a  lamb ;  so 
wherever  the  angel  saw  this  sign  he  passed  over  the 
house  without  doing  any  harm  to  the  people  in  it. 

Pharaoh  lost  his  firstborn  too,  on  this  occasion,  and  now 
he  no  longer  dared  resist,  but  gave  Moses  permission  to 
lead  the  Israelites  into  the  desert. 


68 


XVIII.     THE   CROSSING    OF   THE    RED    SEA. 

THE  Israelites,  having  finally  got  Pharaoh's  permis- 
sion to  go  out  into  the  wilderness,  made  ready  to 
start.  First  they  borrowed  all  the  golden  ornaments  of 
the  Egyptians,  and  then  they  roasted  and  ate  the  lambs 
whose  blood  had  marked  their  doorposts. 

When  they  set  out,  they  carried  with  them  some  dough 
which  had  not  had  time  to  rise ;  and  they  baked  bread 
from  it  at  their  first  halting  place.  In  memory  of  this 
flight  from  Egypt,  the  Jews,  at  the  yearly  celebration  of 
the  feast  of  the  Pass'o-ver,  still  eat  the  flesh  of  a  lamb 
and  unleavened  bread. 

The  Israelites  numbered  more  than  six  hundred  thou- 
sand men,  without  counting  the  women  and  children ;  but 
they  all  followed  Moses  into  the  desert,  the  Lord  himself 
showing  them  the  way  by  going  before  them  in  a  pillar  of 
cloud  by  day,  and  in  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night. 

The  Israelites  had  not  been  gone  long  when  Pharaoh 
regretted  having  allowed  them  to  depart.  So  he  gave 
orders  that  an  army  should  set  out  in  pursuit  of  them, 
with  "six  hundred  chosen  chariots,  and  all  the  chariots 
of  Egypt,  and  captains  over  every  one  of  them." 

The  Egyptian  cavalry  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  host  of 
fugitives,  who  had  stopped  near  the  shores  of  the  Red 
Sea.  Pharaoh  rejoiced,  for  he  imagined  that  it  would 
now  be  a  very  easy  matter  to  force  them  to  turn  around 
and  come  back. 

But  the  Israelites,  who  had  never  been  very  anxious 
to  leave  their  homes  in  Egypt,  although  they  had  been 


69 

so  badly  treated,  were  terrified  when  they  saw  the  sea  in' 
front  of  them,  and  Pharaoh's  army  behind  them.  In  their 
fear,  they  began  to  murmur  against  God,  and  found  fault 
with  Moses  for  bringing  them  there  only  to  perish. 

But  when  Moses  raised  his  rod,  the  waters  of  the  sea 
parted,  and  allowed  the  Israelites  to  go  across  dry  shod. 
The  waters  were  held  back  by  a  high  east  wind  which 
God  had  sent  for  that  purpose,  and  the  gale  blew  all  night, 
until  all  the  people  had  passed  over. 

Morning  came,  and  Pharaoh  and  his  army  pursued  the 
fleeing  host.  But  now  the  wind  ceased  to  blow,  and  the 
waters,  no  longer  held  back,  rushed  upon  the  Egyptians 
and  drowned  them  all. 

The  Israelites,  who  had  seen  the  "  great  work  which  the 
Lord  did,"  now  believed  the  Lord  and  his  servant  Moses ; 
and  the  latter  celebrated  their  deliverance  by  a  grand  song 
of  triumph  and  thanksgiving. 

Next  Moses  led  the  people  southward,  into  the  wilder- 
ness, where  they  suffered  greatly  from  thirst,  because  they 
could  find  no  water.  At  last  they  came  to  Ma'rah,  where 
there  was  water  in  abundance;  but  they  were  greatly  dis- 
appointed when  they  found  that  it  was  bitter  and  not  fit  to 
drink. 

The  people  began  to  murmur  sorely,  but  Moses,  advised 
by  God,  sweetened  the  water  by  a  miracle,  so  that  they 
could  drink  to  their  hearts'  content.  From  Marah  the 
Israelites  now  wended  their  way  through  the  desert  once 
more,  until  they  came  to  an  oasis,  where  they  rested  for 
a  while. 

When  they  began  their  journey  again,  they  passed  into 
another    part    of   the   wilderness,   where    the    food   which 


7° 

they  had  brought  with  them  soon  gave  out.  As  the  Lord 
did  not  wish  his  people  to  starve  to  death,  he  now  sent 
them  plenty  of  quails,  and  rained  down  their  daily  bread 
from  heaven  in  the  form  of  Man'na. 

On  this  occasion  God  reminded  the  Israelites  that  they 
were  to  do  no  work  on  the  Sabbath,  for  no  manna  fell  then, 
while  a  double  portion  was  given  them  the  day  before. 

B#  Moses'  order  a  measure  of  this  heavenly  food  was 
gathered  and  carefully  kept,  so  that  the  Israelites,  in 
years  to  come,  might  show  their  children  a  sample  of  the 
wonderful  food  upon  which  they  had  fed  all  the  time  that 
they  were  in  the  desert.  Strengthened  by  this  food,  they 
journeyed  on  in  comfort,  until  they  again  began  to  suffer 
from  lack  of  water. 

The  ground  was  hard  and  dry,  and  there  was  not  a 
stream  to  be  found  where  the  people,  could  quench  their 
thirst.  They  were  in  despair,  and  Moses,  not  knowing 
what  else  to  do,  began  to  pray  for  water.  In  answer  to 
this  prayer,  God  bade  him  strike  a  certain  rock  with  his 
wonderful  rod.  As  soon  as  Moses  had  done  so,  there 
gushed  forth  from  it  a  stream  of  pure  water.  The  people, 
who  saw  this  miracle  with  delight,  could  now  satisfy  their 
great  thirst,  and  as  they  did  so  they  thanked  God  for  giv- 
ing them  plenty  of  water  in  time  of  need. 

Danger  of  death  from  lack  of  water  was  scarcely  over, 
when  the  Israelites  saw  the  army  of  the  Am'a-lek-ites 
coming  to  meet  them.  As  soon  as  Moses  saw  these  foes, 
he  bade  his  captain,  Josh'u-a,  lead  the  fighting  men  against 
the  enemy,  while  he  himself  knelt  on  a  hill  near  by, 
fervently  praying  for  victory.  There  he  soon  noticed  that 
as  long  as  his  hands  were  uplifted  his  people  were  strong, 


7i 

but  that  the  Amalekites  had  the  best  of  the  fight  as  soon 
as  he  let  his  hands  fall.  So,  fearing  that  his  arms  might 
drop  from  weariness,  Moses  bade  his  brother  Aaron  and 
another  man  stand  on  either  side  of  him,  and  support  his 
hands,  while  he  fervently  prayed  until  the  victory  was  won. 


3*XC 


XIX.     THE   GOLDEN    CALF. 

SHORTLY  after  the  battle  with  the  Amalekites  had 
been  fought,  Moses'  father-in-law,  Jethro,  came  to  the 
Israelite  camp,  bringing  Moses'  wife  and  sons  to  him 
there.  He  then  gave  Moses  very  good  advice,  and  bade 
him  select  judges,  who  would  help  him  to  govern  his 
followers. 

After  parting  from  Jethro,  Moses  and  his  people  re- 
sumed their  journey,  and  in  the  third  month  after  their 
flight  from  Egypt,  they  reached  the  awful  wilderness 
around  Mount  Si'nai.  There  they  lingered  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  while  "  Moses  went  up  unto  God,"  and  re- 
ceived a  solemn  promise  that  if  the  Israelites  would  only 
obey  him,  he  would  make  of  them  "  a  peculiar  treasure 
.  .  .  above  all  people,  ...  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and  a 
holy  nation." 

The  elders,  in  the  name  of  all  the  people,  promised 
obedience,  and  after  three  days  of  purification  "  Mount 
Sinai  was  altogether  on  a  smoke,  because  the  Lord  de- 
scended upon  it  in  fire."  The  people,  frightened  at  this 
sight,  drew  back  from  the  mountain  in  terror,  crying, 
"Let  not  God  speak  with  us  lest  we  die." 


72 

As  they  were  afraid  to  hear  the  voice  of  God  them- 
selves, they  asked  Moses  to  go  up  on  the  mountain,  and 
speak  with  the  Lord.  There,  on  Mount  Sinai,  Moses 
received  from  God  the  ten  commandments,  and  when  he 
came  down  he  bade  the  people  build  an  altar,  and  offered 
up  a  solemn  sacrifice. 

Then,  leaving  Aaron  and  another  man  to  govern  the 
people  during  his  absence,  Moses  went  up  the  mountain 
once  more,  where  he  staid  without  food  for  forty  days 
and  forty  nights.  This  time  he  received  many  direc- 
tions from  God  concerning  the  Tab'er-na-cle,  or  holy  tent, 
and  the  way  in  which  he  wished  the  people  of  Israel  to 
worship. 

At  the  end  of  the  forty  days,  Moses  came  down  the 
mountain  side,  carrying  two  stone  tables,  upon  which  God 
himself  had  written  the  ten  commandments  that  he  wished 
his  people  to  keep. 

Moses  had  just  come  within  sight  of  the  camp,  when 
he  dashed  these  tables  on  the  ground  at  his  feet ;  for 
there,  before  him,  he  saw  Aaron  and  the  people  worship- 
ing a  golden  calf,  which  they  had  made  from  the  spoil 
they  had  carried  away  from  the  Egyptians. 

Moses  was  very  angry  when  he  saw  that  the  people 
had  already  disobeyed  God's  first  command.  He  burned 
the  idol,  ground  its  charred  remains  to  powder,  cast  this 
into  the  water,  and  made  the  people  drink  of  it.  Then, 
bidding  those  who  were  on  the  Lord's  side  come  over 
to  him,  he  made  them  take  their  swords  and  kill  three 
thousand    of  the    Israelites  who  had  worshiped  the  idol. 

After  bidding  the  people  purify  themselves  afresh, 
Moses   again    went   up  the  mountain,  where,  by  his  en- 


73 

treaties,  he  obtained  God's  forgiveness  for  the  erring 
Israelites.  In  punishment  for  their  disobedience,  God 
now  refused  to  go  before  them  in  person,  as  he  had  prom- 
ised to  do  if  they  kept  his  commands  ;  but  he  said  that 
he  would  send  his  angel  instead. 

When  Moses  again  came  down  the  mountain,  he  re- 
moved the  sacred  tent,  or  tabernacle,  to  a  place  outside 
of  the  camp.  There  all  the  people  saw  a  pillar  of  cloud 
descend  to  its  very  doors,  and  heard  the  Lord  speak 
"  unto  Moses,  face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  unto  his 
friend." 

After  a  new  journey  up  the  mountain,  Moses  brought 
down  two  new  tables  of  stone,  upon  which  the  finger  of 
God  had  traced  the  ten  commandments.  He  had  been 
close  to  God,  and  the  heavenly  glory  made  his  face  shine 
so  brightly  that  the  people  dared  not  look  at  him  until 
he  drew  a  veil  over  his  head. 

The  commandments  were  again  recited  in  presence  of 
the  people,  who  now  brought  gifts  for  the  tabernacle ;  and 
Aaron  and  his  sons  were  made  priests  of  God.  Then 
Moses  offered  up  a  sacrifice,  and  God  showed  his  accep- 
tance of  it  by  sending  down  fire  from  heaven  to  con- 
sume it. 

XX.     THE   TWELVE   SPIES. 

WHILE  the  Israelites  were  stopping  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Sinai,  several  miracles  took  place.  For 
instance,  two  of  Aaron's  sons  dared  to  put  common  fire 
into  their  censers,  in  spite  of  God's  command ;    and  they 


74 


were  burned  alive  by  a  "  fire  from  the  Lord  "  which  fell 
upon  them. 

As  they  had  died  in  punishment  for  their  sin,  Moses 
forbade  the  people  to  mourn  for  them ;  and  because  their 
disobedience  had  been  caused  by  a  moment  of  drunken- 
ness, he  forbade  the  priests  ever  to  touch  any  strong  drink. 
Soon  after  this,  a  man  who  took  the  Lord's  name  in  vain 
was  stoned  to  death  as  the  new  law  commanded. 

By  God's  order  Moses  now  counted  the  grown  men,  who 
numbered  six  hundred  and  three  thousand,  five  hundred 
and  fifty.  This  host  was  divided  into  four  camps,  and 
each  tribe  had  its  own  captain  and  place. 


The  Tabernacle. 


The  tabernacle  was  placed  in  the  center  of  the  camp, 
under  the  care  of  the  Levites,  who  were  the  only  priests. 
Then,  when  all  these  arrangements  had  been  finished, 
Moses  again  gave  the  signal  for  departure,  and  the  Israel- 


7$ 

ites  moved  on  through  the  wilderness,  under  the  protec- 
tion and  shadow  of  a  cloud  sent  by  God. 

Before  they  had  gone  very  far,  the  Israelites  began  to 
murmur;  and  in  punishment  for  this  they  were  burned 
by  a  raging  fire  which  swept  all  through  the  camp,  and 
never  ceased  its  ravages  until  Moses  won  God's  pardon 
for  his  disobedient  people. 

Some  time  later  the  followers  of  Moses  became  weary 
of  manna,  and  again  longed  for  flesh.  So  God  sent  them 
quails ;  but  instead  of  eating  moderately,  they  feasted 
upon  them  so  greedily  that  they  became  very  sick,  and 
many  even  died. 

During  this  halt  Moses  chose  seventy  elders  to  help 
him  govern  the  people ;  and  this  council  is  considered  the 
beginning  of  the  Jewish  tribunal  called  the  San-he'drim,  of 
which  you  will  hear  further  mention  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

In  their  next  stopping  place,  Miriam  and  Aaron  tried 
to  oppose  their  brother  Moses ;  for,  as  they  were  older, 
they  claimed  that  their  authority  was  greater  than  his. 
Moses  was  so  meek  that  he  did  not  resist;  indeed,  his 
gentleness  was  so  great  that  it  has  passed  into  a  proverb, 
and  you  will  often  hear  the  expression,  "  as  meek  as 
Moses." 

Instead  of  insisting  on  his  right  to  rule  the  people,  he 
remained  quite  still,  and  God  himself  took  up  his  defense. 
Aaron  and  Miriam  were  called  into  the  tabernacle,  where 
God  rebuked  them  for  their  bad  behavior,  and,  to  punish 
Miriam,  made  her  a  leper. 

This  horrible  disease  was  contagious,  and  Miriam  was 
forced  to  leave  the  camp.     She  was  not  allowed  to  return 


76 

until  she  was  cured  by  the  prayers  which  Moses  made  for 
her  recovery. 

The  long  procession  of  Israelites  now  wended  ics  way 
northward,  until  they  came  to  Ka'desh,  not  very  far  from 
the  Dead  Sea.  There  twelve  men,  one  from  each  tribe, 
were  chosen  to  go  ahead  and  spy  out  the  land  which 
they  were  approaching,  and  which  God  had  promised  to 
give  them. 

These  twelve  men  set  out  eagerly.  They  went  far  up 
the  Jordan  River,  then  came  south  again,  and  passed 
through  a  rich  valley,  where  grew  luxuriant  vines.  They 
brought  back  samples  of  the  produce  of  the  country,  and, 
among  other  fruits,  a  bunch  of  grapes  so  large  that  it  had 
to  be  carried  upon  a  stick  between  two  men. 

The  spies  came  back  to  Kadesh  at  the  end  of  forty 
days,  and  were  much  pleased  by  the  beauty  and  fertility 
of  the  land,  which,  as  God  had  said,  was  "  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey."  But  although  they  praised  the  soil  so 
highly,  they  alarmed  the  people  by  their  description  of 
the  great  walls  which  were  built  all  around  the  cities, 
and  by  their  stories  about  the  size  and  strength  of  some 
of  the  inhabitants,  beside  whom  they  felt  like  grass- 
hoppers. 

The  Israelites  were  frightened  by  what  the  spies -said, 
for  only  one  of  them,  Ca'leb,  refrained  from  talking  about 
the  strength  of  the  inhabitants.  Indeed,  the  people  were 
so  discouraged  that  they  began  to  express  their  discontent 
at  having  traveled  so  far  in  vain.  Then  they  broke  out 
into  open  rebellion  against  Moses  and  God,  and  even  pro- 
posed to  return  to  Egypt. 

Moses  and  Aaron,  in  despair,  tried  to  persuade  the  peo- 


77 

pie  that  they  would  triumph  if  they  only  believed  in  God's 
strength ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  Israelites  murmured 
until  "the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  the  tabernacle," 
and  his  voice  was  heard  saying  that  he  would  disinherit 
his  ungrateful  and  disobedient  children. 

At  this  threat  the  terrified  people  were  sorry  for  what 
they  had  done,  and  Moses  interceded  for  them  till  God 
relented.  He  again  promised  that  the  Israelites  should 
have  the  land,  but  he  said  that  instead  of  entering  it  im- 
mediately, they  would  be  forced  to  wander  in  the  wilder- 
ness for  forty  years.  He  added  that  none  of  the  rebels 
should  ever  be  allowed  to  enter  into  the  land,  but  that 
it  would  be  given  only  to  their  children. 


>*Xc 


XXI.     THE   BRAZEN    SERPENT. 

THE  people  of  Israel  were  very  angry  when  they 
heard  that  their  wanderings  were  to  last  so  long,  — 
so  angry  that  they  began  to  fight  the  Amalekites  and 
Canaanites,  so  as  to  force  their  way  into  the  promised 
land.  But  they  soon  had  cause  to  repent  of  this  rash 
behavior,  for  they  were  defeated  with  great  slaughter,  and 
driven  back  into  the  desert. 

Here  they  wandered  about  for  forty  years,  fed  by  the 
heavenly  manna ;  and,  by  a  merciful  miracle,  their  gar- 
ments, which  they  could  not  replace,  did  not  wear  out 
in  all  that  time. 

Very  few  events  are  recorded  as  having  happened 
during  those  long,  weary  years ;  but  we  find  that  a  man 


78 

was  stoned  because  he  failed  to  keep  the  law,  and  picked 
up  sticks  on  the  Sabbath  Day.  Another  time  three  men 
rebelled  against  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  wished  to  offer 
up  sacrifices  on  the  altar,  although  God  had  said  that 
only  the  sons  of  Aaron  should  be  his  priests. 

In  punishment  for  their  disobedience,  these  three,,  men 
were  swallowed  up  alive  by  the  earth,  which  opened  wide 
beneath  their  feet.  Then,  too,  their  followers  were  all 
burned  to  death  by  a  fire  which  came  out  of  the  taber- 
nacle. 

As  the  Israelites  murmured  because  these  men  had 
been  punished  for  their  disobedience,  they,  too,  were  called 
upon  to  suffer.  A  frightful  plague  killed  more  than 
fourteen  thousand  of  them,  and  ceased  only  when  Moses 
begged  God  to  spare  his  mistaken  people. 

To  show  the  Israelites  once  for  all  that  the  house  of 
Aaron  was  to  serve  as  priests,  God  now  bade  the  head 
of  each  tribe  bring  his  rod,  or  staff,  and  lay  it  upon  the 
altar  in  the  tabernacle.  On  the  next  day  when  Moses 
entered  the  holy  tent,  he  found  Aaron's  rod  all  covered 
with  buds  and  blossoms,  while  the  others  were  only  dry 
sticks  as  before. 

In  memory  of  this  miracle,  Aaron's  rod  was  placed  in 
the  Ark  of  the  Cov'e-nant,  or  sacred  chest,  which  also 
contained  the  pot  of  manna  and  the  stone  tables  of  the 
law;  and  this  ark,  as  you  will  see,  was  carefully  treas- 
ured up  for  many  years  by  the  priests  who  served  the 
Lord. 

Terrified  into  submission  by  all  these  signs  and  won- 
ders, the  Israelites  gave  no  more  trouble  for  some  time. 
They  walked  on  and  on,  and  in  the  fortieth  year  from  the 


79 

time  of  the  Exodus,  or  "coming  out"  of  Egypt,  they 
again  reached  the  wilderness  near  Kadesh. 

Thus  they  had  been  wandering  around  the  desert  in  a 
circle,  and  now  they  came  back  to  their  former  resting 
place.  Here  Miriam,  the  aged  sister  of  Moses,  sickened, 
died,  and  was  duly  buried.  Here,  too,  the  people  who 
were  suffering  from  thirst  murmured  again,  so  God  bade 
Moses  speak  to  the  rock  and  thus  procure  water. 

Instead  of  doing  exactly  as  he  had  been  told,  Moses 
lifted  his  rod  and  struck  the  rock.  The  waters  gushed 
forth,  but  God  punished  Moses  for  his  impatience  by 
telling  him  that  he  would  never  be  allowed  to  enter  the 
land  which  had  been  promised  to  the  Chosen  People. 

Still  advised  by  God,  Moses  now  led  the  Israelites 
to  Mount  Hor,  where  Aaron  died  and  was  buried.  E-le-a'- 
zar,  his  son,  became  high  priest  in  his  turn,  and  it  was  he 
who  now  offered  up  sacrifices  for  the  people. 

After  mourning  thirty  days,  the  Israelites  started  on 
again,  but  they  had  not  gone  far  when  new  murmurs 
were  heard.  They  were  punished  for  this  lack  of  faith 
by  a  host  of  serpents,  which  bit  and  poisoned  them  all. 
The  people  died  in  great  numbers,  until  God,  in  pity, 
bade  Moses  make  a  brazen  serpent,  and  set  it  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  camp.  God  then  told  Moses  that  he  would 
cure  the  bites  of  all  those  who  gazed  upon  the  serpent, 
thus  showing  that  they  wished  to  be  healed. 

This  brazen  serpent  was  long  preserved  as  a  relic  by  the 
Israelites.  When  they  forgot  the  worship  of  God,  they 
set  it  up  as  an  idol,  and  bowed  down  before  it  until  it  was 
thrown  down  and  broken  by  order  of  one  of  their  kings. 

We  are  told  that  the  fragments  of  the  serpent  were 


8o 


preserved,  and  in  time  passed  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Turks.  An  ambassador  from  Italy  saw  them  there,  four 
hundred  and  seventy-one  years  after  the  time  of  Christ, 
and  it  is  said  that  he  carried  them  off  to  the  church  of 
St.  Am'brose  at  Mil'an,  whore  the  brazen  serpent  is  still 
gazed  at  by  travelers  from  every  clime. 


:v., 


XXII.     THE   DEATH    OF   MOSES. 

THE  Israelites,  delivered  from  the  poisonous  serpents, 
next  went  through  the  country  east  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  fought  against  the  people  who  refused  to  let  them 
pass.  They  won  a  brilliant  victory  this  time,  and  gained 
possession  of  part  of  the  land  which  was  to  belong  to 
them.  This  battle  was  soon  followed  by  another,  in  which 
they  defeated  the  giant  king  Og,  and  killed  his  children 
and  people.  The  Israelites  also  won  much  spoil  from 
him.  among  other  things  an  iron  bedstead  thirteen  and 
a  half  feet  long,  which  they  kept  as  a  proof  of  his  great 
size. 

Then  the  Chosen  People  encamped  in  the  desert  plain 
of  Moab.  to  the  great  dismay  of  Ba'lak.  the  king  of  that 
Country.  He  did  not  dare  attack  such  powerful  enemies 
openly,  so  he  sent  for  Ba'laam,  a  prophet  of  the  true  God, 
and  promised  him  a  large  sum  of  money  if  he  would  only 
curse  the  people  of  Israel. 

Balaam,  tempted  by  the  offered  reward,  consented,  but 
God  spoke  to  him  and  said:  "Thou  shah  not  go  with 
them  ;    thou    shah    not  curse    the  p<  for   they  are 


blessed."  But  in  spite  of  this  warning,  Balaam  was  so 
anxious  to  get  the  money  promised  him  that  he  set  out 
with  Balak,  intending  to  curse  the  Israelites,  although 
God  warned  him  to  do  only  as  he  was  told.  On  the  way 
to  the  heights  upon  which  he  was  to  stand  while  speaking 
this  curse,  the  ass  which  Balaam  rode  shied  twice,  and 
each  time  saved  him  from  the  sword  of  an  angel.  But 
Balaam  did  not  see  why  the  ass  stopped  in  a  gateway,  and 
he  beat  the  poor  animal  until  it  turned  and  spoke  to  him. 
At  the  same  moment  God  opened  Balaam's  eyes,  so  that 
he    saw  the  angel  with  the  sharp  sword. 

Balaam  was  so  frightened  then  that  he  would  gladly 
have  gone  home,  but  the  messenger  of  God  told  him  to  go 
on,  warning  him,  however,  to  speak  no  words  except  those 
which  the  Lord  would  put  into  his  mouth. 

Balak  and  Balaam  went  up  three  hills,  one  after  an- 
other, and  three  times  Balaam  opened  his  mouth  to  speak 
the  desired  curse.  But  each  time  God  changed  the  words 
of  this  curse  into  a  blessing,  because  he  was  watching 
over  the  people  of  Israel,  whom  he  still  loved  in  spite  of 
all  their  sins. 

Then,  still  speaking  as  God  wished,  Balaam  foretold  the 
coming  of  the  promised  Messiah,  or  king,  and  the  victories 
and  conquests  of  the  Israelites.  Although  he  had  thus 
been  forced,  against  his  will,  to  foretell  the  greatness  of 
the  Israelites,  and  although  he  knew  that  God  was  with 
his  people,  Balaam  soon  made  a  second  attempt  to  harm 
them,  by  tempting  the  men  to  disobey  God's  orders,  and 
to  take  wives  from  among  the  Moabites. 

To  punish  the  people  for  this  disobedience,  God  sent 
another  terrible  plague,  which  carried  off  twenty-four  thou- 

STO.  OF  CHO.  PEOP.  —  6 


82 


sand  Israelites.  Indeed,  it  did  not  stop  raging  until  Moses 
made  a  law  whereby  all  those  who  disobeyed  were  pun- 
ished by  immediate  death. 

By  God's  order,  Moses  now  took  a  second  census  of  the 
men  of  Israel.  In  spite  of  all  the  sufferings  they  had 
endured  in  the  wilderness,  he  found  that  they  numbered 
only  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty  less  than  when  they 
left  the  land  of  Egypt  forty  years  before. 

Joshua  was  now  chosen  and  publicly  named  as  the  suc- 
cessor of  Moses ;  and  the  tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad  re- 
ceived the  land  which  had  just  been  conquered.  Before 
it  was  given  to  them,  however,  they  had  to  promise  that 
their  best  warriors  should  march  at  the  head  of  the  Israel- 
ite army  until  all  the  land  was  won. 

The  work  of  Moses  was  finished.  He  therefore  bade 
the  people  come  together  to  receive  his  last  blessing  and 
made  them  a  solemn  farewell  speech.  In  it  he  reminded 
them  of  all  that  God  had  done  for  them  in  the  wilderness. 
He  repeated  the  prophecies  about  their  future,  and  the 
law,  and  then  broke  out  into  a  grand  song  of  thanksgiving. 

Moses  next  blessed  the  awed  and  waiting  people,  and 
then,  having  received  his  last  summons,  he  went  up  Mount 
Ne'bo,  from  whose  top  God  pointed  out  to  him  the  land 
promised  to  his  people. 

It  was  here,  on  the  lonely  mountain  top,  that  Moses, 
the  servant  of  God,  died ;  and  we  are  told  that  God  him- 
self laid  his  body  to  rest.  No  one  ever  knew  the  place 
where  Moses  was  buried,  but  the  people  mourned  him  for 
thirty  days  before  they  thought  of  making  their  way  into 
the  beautiful  land  which  he  had  seen,  although  he  was 
never  allowed  to  enter  it. 


83 

XXIII.     THE   WALLS    OF   JERICHO. 

MOSES.,  the  great  lawgiver  of  Israel,  was  succeeded 
by  Joshua,  the  great  captain,  whose  mission  it  was 
to  conquer  the  promised  land  for  God's  people. 

Joshua  was  already  eighty  years  of  age,  but  he  had 
shown  his  skill  as  captain  in  the  beginning  of  his  career 
by  winning  a  victory  over  the  Amalekites,  and  lately  by 
conquering  the  land  east  of  the  Jordan.  As  he  had  always 
obeyed,  and  had  never  murmured,  and  as  he  had  been 
faithful  when  all  the  rest  were  faithless,  he  was  allowed  to 
enter  the  promised  land,  and  was  well  fitted  to  be  the 
leader  of  the  people. 

As  soon  as  the  thirty  days  of  mourning  for  Moses  were 
ended,  God  appeared  to  Joshua,  and  bade  him  lead  the 
people  over  the  Jordan,  into  the' land  where  spies  had 
already  been  sent  to  see  how  the  land  lay.  These  scouts 
went  to  the  walled  city  of  Jer'i-cho,  and  entered  the 
house  of  a  woman  named  Ra'hab.  Their  strange  looks 
excited  the  suspicions  of  the  people,  who  hastily  closed 
the  gates  of  the  city  so  that  they  could  not  escape,  and 
began  to  search  for  them  in  order  to  put  them  to  death. 

But  Rahab  hid  the  spies  so  cleverly  that  no  one  could 
find  them,  and  sent  the  pursuers  off  on  a  false  track. 
When  they  had  gone,  and  all  danger  was  over,  she  low- 
ered the  Israelites  in  a  basket  from  one  of  the  windows 
of  her  house,  which  was  built  in  the  thick  walls  of  the 
city. 

The  spies  were  so  grateful  to  Rahab  for  helping  them 
that  they  promised  to  save  her  life  in  their  turn.     They 


^ahab  lowering  the  Spies. 


85 

bade  her  tie  a  scarlet  thread  to  the  window  of  her  house, 
so  that  they  would  be  sure  to  recognize  it ;  and  they  prom- 
ised that  the  persons  in  it  should  escape  from  all  harm 
when  the  Lord  gave  the  city  into  their  hands. 

By  a  roundabout  way  the  spies  then  went  back  to  camp, 
and  made  their  report  to  Joshua.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing, the  priests,  carrying  the  Ark,  went  down  to  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan,  whose  tide  was  much  swollen  at  this  season 
by  the  melting  of  the  mountain  snows.  But  as  the 
Levites  reached  the  water's  edge,  the  river  divided ;  "  the 
waters  which  came  down  from  above  stood  and  rose  up," 
while  the  remainder  flowed  down  to  the  Dead  Sea.  Thus 
a  wide  channel  was  left  bare,  and  the  people  could  pass 
over  dry  shod. 

By  Joshua's  command,  the  priests  halted  in  the  middle 
of  the  river  until  all  the  people  had  passed  over.  He 
also  gave  orders  that  twelve  men,  one  from  each  tribe, 
should  take  stones  from  the  river  bed  with  which  to  build 
an  altar.  Then  the  priests  also  left  the  river  bed,  and  the 
waters,  no  longer  stopped  in  their  course,  again  rushed 
downward  to  the  Dead  Sea.  The  army  marched  on  to 
Gil'gal,  where  the  Israelites  erected  the  altar  of  twelve 
stones,  and  celebrated  the  first  Passover  in  the  land  which 
had  been  promised  to  them,  forty  years  after  their  fathers 
had  kept  it  before  leaving  Egypt. 

Here  all  the  people  were  circumcised,  a  religious  cere- 
mony which  had  been  omitted  during  their  desert  wander- 
ings. Here,  too,  the  supply  of  manna  ceased,  and  the 
people  baked  bread  from  the  grain  of  the  land  which  was 
soon  to  belong  to  them. 

While  Joshua  was  planning  how  to  take  the  strong  city 


86 


of  Jericho,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him,  and 
bade  him  march  around  the  city  once  a  day  for  six  days, 
with  all  his  host,  and  seven  priests  blowing  the  seven 
sacred  trumpets  as  they  marched  before  the  Ark.  The 
seventh  day  the  army  was  to  march  around  the  city  seven 
times ;  and  when  the  last  circuit  was  made,  they  were  to 
blow  a  loud  blast  on  the  trumpets  and  to  raise  a  sudden 
shout,  at  the  sound  of  which  the  Lord  would  make  the 
walls  fall  down  flat. 

All  these  directions  were  carried  out  with  great  care. 
The  Israelites  marched  around  the  city  daily,  and  when 
the  seventh  round  had  been  finished  on  the  seventh  and 
last  day,  a  mighty  shout  rent  the  air,  and  the  strong  walls 
of  Jericho  tottered  and  fell,  as  God  had  promised. 

All  the  people,  except  Rahab  and  those  whom  she 
sheltered  in  her  house,  were  killed ;  their  property  was 
destroyed,  and  the  city  razed,  and  Joshua  pronounced  a  sol- 
emn curse  upon  any  one  who  should  attempt  to  rebuild  it. 

In  reward  for  the  good  turn  she  had  done  the  spies, 
Rahab  was  given  in  marriage  to  an  Israelite.  In  time  she 
became  the  mother  of  Bo'az,  the  great-grandfather  of 
Da'vid,  a  well-known  king  of  the  Israelites,  or,  as  they  are 
also  called,  the  Jews. 

XXIV.     THE    CONQUEST    OF    THE    PROMISED 

LAND. 

GOD  had  ordered  that  all  the  property  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Jericho  should  be  destroyed.    Only  one  man 
dared  transgress  this  command,  by  keeping  back  a  small 


87 

portion  of  the  spoil.  He  hid  it,  and  fancied  that  his  dis- 
obedience would  remain  unknown  and  unpunished.  But 
when  the  Israelites  next  tried  to  take  a  city,  they  were 
defeated.  Joshua  knew  that  this  misfortune  would  never 
have  happened  if  the  people  had  obeyed  God's  com- 
mands ;  so  he  now  fervently  prayed  that  the  sinner 
might  be  revealed. 

Lots  were  drawn,  first  among  the  twelve  tribes,  then 
among  the  divisions  of  the  tribe  on  which  the  first  lot  had 
fallen,  and  lastly  among  the  families.  By  this  means  the 
sinner  was  discovered.  He  confessed  having  saved  two 
hundred  shekels,  or  pieces  of  silver,  and  was  punished  by 
being  stoned  to  death  with  all  his  family. 

This  signal  example  having  been  made,  Joshua  again 
led  the  people  against  the  city,  which  they  succeeded  in 
taking  by  stratagem.  Thus  the  Israelites  won  all  the 
passes  from  the  valley  of  the  Jordan ;  and,  marching  on 
to  Shechem,  they  erected  an  altar  upon  which  they  in- 
scribed the  law. 

While  the  Chosen  People  were  tarrying  at  Shechem, 
the  neighboring  nations  made  a  league  against  them ;  but 
the  Gib'e-on-ites  pretended  to  be  friendly  with  them.  Hop- 
ing to  make  the  Israelites  believe  that  they  lived  very  far 
away,  the  Gibeonites  came  in  tattered  garments  and  worn 
foot  gear,  and  brought  no  provisions  but  moldy  bread. 

Without  consulting  God,  the  Israelites  now  made  an 
alliance  with  them  ;  but  when  they  found  out  the  fraud 
three  days  later,  they  marched  against  Gib'e-on,  and  made 
all  the  people  their  slaves. 

Shortly  after  this,  Joshua's  troops  were  attacked  by  the 
combined  forces  of  five  allied  kings,  and  he  would  have 


88 


been  overwhelmed  by  their  numbers  had  he  not  been 
helped  by  a  violent  hailstorm.  Such  was  the  fury  of  the 
storm,  that  there  "  were  more  which  died  with  hailstones 
than  they  whom  the  children  of  Israel  slew  with  the 
sword." 

Joshua  began  to  pursue  the  fugitives,  and  seeing  that 
daylight  would  fail  him  before  the  victory  was  really 
assured,  he  commanded:  "Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gib- 
eon;  and  thou,  moon,  in  the  valley  of  Aj'a-lon."  In 
obedience  to  this  order  both  sun  and  moon  stood  still 
until  Joshua  had  won  a  great  victory. 

Joshua  pursued  the  people  to  a  place  where  the  five 
kings,  his  enemies,  were  hiding  in  a  cave.  These  mon- 
archs  were  dragged  from  their  retreat  and  led  away  and 
hanged,  just  as  the  sun  at  last  went  down  and  closed 
the  longest  day  which  has  ever  been  known. 

By  a  few  more  battles  Joshua  became  master  of  all  the 
southern  half  of  the  country,  and  now  he  prepared  to  march 
northward,  and  subdue  another  king,  who  had  an  army 
"as  the  sand  that  is  upon  the  seashore  in  multitude."  In 
spite  of  this  array  of  warriors,  Joshua  defeated  the  king, 
burned  his  principal  city,  put  the  inhabitants  to  death, 
seized  their  property,  and  then  took  possession  of  all  the 
northern  part  of  the  promised  land. 

Although  Joshua  had  thus  conquered  all  the  promised 
land,  many  of  his  enemies  were  not  entirely  subdued, 
and  the  Canaanites  and  Philistines  still  owned  much  ter- 
ritory. The  conquest  of  their  land,  however,  was  reserved 
for  another  leader ;  for  Joshua  was  now  very  weary  and 
old,  and  he  felt  that  his  end  was  near. 

He  therefore  called   the   heads   of  the   remaining   ten 


89 

tribes  to  him,  and  portioned  out  by  lot  the  land  which  he 
had  conquered.  The  city  of  He'bron,  however,  was 
given  as  a  reward  to  Caleb,  a  man  who  had  never  mur- 
mured, and  who  was  now  the  only  one  left  of  the  twelve 
spies  that  had  visited  the  Holy  Land  forty  years  before. 

The  only  tribe  which  received  no  province  at  all  was 
that  of  Levi,  because  the  Levites  were  chosen  to  serve 
the  Lord.  They  were  to  receive  a  certain  amount  from 
all  the  people,  and  the  Lord  himself  "  was  their  inheri- 
tance." 

Peace  now  reigned  everywhere,  and  the  two  tribes  of 
Reuben  and  Gad,  which  had  received  their  portions  long 
before,  prepared  to  recross  the  Jordan,  and  go  home.  As 
soon  as  they  reached  the  other  side  of  the  river,  they  be- 
gan to  build  an  altar.  Their  brethren,  fearing  that  they 
were  about  to  forget  God  and  worship  idols,  immediately 
sent  Phin'e-has,  the  son  of  the  high  priest,  to  inquire  what 
it  meant. 

This  messenger  soon  came  back,  and  the  people  were 
greatly  relieved  when  they  heard  that  the  new  altar  was 
not  for  the  worship  of  foreign  gods.  The  men  had  built 
it  merely  to  remind  their  children  that  they  too  belonged 
to  the  Chosen  Race,  although  they  were  separated  from 
the  rest  of  it  by  the  Jordan's  rushing  tide. 

When  all  these  matters  had  been  satisfactorily  settled, 
Joshua  called  the  heads  of  the  people  together,  and  ex- 
horted them  "  to  keep  and  to  do  all  that  is  written  in  the 
book  of  the  law  of  Moses."  He  prophesied  that,  if  they 
dared  serve  other  gods,  they  would  lose  the  land  which 
their  God  had  given  them. 

Then,  after  receiving  a  solemn    promise   from    all   the 


90 

people  to  remain  faithful,  and  after  writing  the  history 
of  his  time,  Joshua  died  peacefully,  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  ten.  He  was  buried  in  the  country  which 
he  had  won  for  Israel,  a  country  which  is  called  the  Prom- 
ised Land,  the  Holy  Land,  or  Palestine. 


>xk< 


XXV.     THE   DEATH    OF   SISERA. 

JOSHUA'S  death  was  soon  followed  by  that  of  the 
high  priest  Eleazar,  who  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Phinehas.  It  was  at  this  time,  also,  that  Joseph's  remains, 
so  carefully  brought  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  were  buried 
at  Shechem. 

Now  all  the  people  went  on  serving  God  faithfully  as 
long  as  the  elders  lived.  This  period  lasted  about  forty 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  there  arose  another  gen- 
eration who  "  knew  not  the  Lord,  nor  yet  the  works  which 
he  had  done  for  Israel ; "  so  the  people  of  the  Lord  for- 
got him,  and  began  to  worship  the  heathen  gods. 

In  punishment  for  their  idolatry,  they  were  given  over 
into  the  hands  of  the  people  whose  gods  they  served,  and 
were  forced  to  endure  much  ill  treatment. 

But,  although  punished,  they  were  not  utterly  forsaken ; 
for,  whenever  it  was  necessary,  God  always  provided 
judges,  who  freed  them  from  their  oppressors. 

No  sooner  were  the  Israelites  free  again,  however,  than 
they  would  return  to  their  old  sins,  worship  false  gods, 
and  refuse  to  obey  the  law.  It  was  because  of  this 
oft-renewed    unfaithfulness    that    God    delayed    the    full 


9i 

accomplishment  of  his  promise  to  drive  all  the  heathen 
nations  out  of  the  country.  The  story  of  these  trou- 
blous times  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Judges,  which  begins 
with  an  account  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  tribes  of 
Judah  and  Simeon  to  drive  out  the  Canaanites  and  the 
Per'iz-zites. 

The  two  tribes  of  Israelites  won  a  victory  and  captured 
the  tyrant  who  ruled  over  their  enemies.  This  was  a  man 
who  openly  boasted  of  having  cut  off  the  thumbs  and  great 
toes  of  seventy  kings,  and  of  having  amused  himself  in 
watching  their  vain  efforts  to  pick  up  the  crumbs  that  fell 
from  his  table.  In  punishment  for  such  deeds  of  cruelty, 
the  Israelites  treated  him  in  the  same  way,  and  then  killed 
him  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 

Many  other  attempts  to  drive  the  heathen  out  of  the 
land  are  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Judges ;  but  none  of 
them  were  entirely  successful.  Indeed,  it  was  not  long 
before  the  Israelites,  in  punishment  for  their  sins,  were 
allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  King  of  Mesopo- 
tamia. They  suffered  under  his  tyranny  eight  years, 
before  the  Lord  heard  their  cries  of  distress,  and  sent 
them  a  deliverer  in  the  person  of  Oth'ni-el,  a  nephew 
of  Caleb. 

Othniel  ruled  the  people  wisely,  and  died  forty  years 
after  Joshua.  But  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  the  Israelites 
again  fell  into  idolatry,  and  because  they  did  so,  they  were 
conquered  by  the  Moabites  and  Amalekites,  their  old  foes, 
who  tyrannized  over  them  for  eighteen  years. 

When  their  woes  had  become  unendurable,  another 
deliverer  arose  —  E'hud,  who  was  a  left-handed  man. 
This  fact  proved  fatal  to  the  Moabites,  for  Ehud  killed 


02 

their  king  with  his  left  hand  while  delivering  a  pre- 
tended written   message  with  his  right. 

This  murder  was  not  discovered  till  Ehud  had  es- 
caped. He  at  once  rallied  the  Children  of  Israel  around 
him,  led  them  on  to  battle,  and  completely  routed  th«2 
Moabites. 

Sham'gar,  the  next  judge,  delivered  the  Israelites  from 
the  hands  of  the  Philistines,  and  showed  his  unusual 
strength  by  killing  six  hundred  of  his  foes  with  an  ordi- 
nary oxgoad. 

As  the  people  had  fallen  back  into  idolatry,  they  were 
next  given  over  to  the  cruel  treatment  of  the  King  of  the 
Canaanites,  who  allowed  his  captain,  Sis'e-ra,  to  oppress 
the  land  for  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
the  Lord  sent  a  woman  named  Deb'o-rah  to  the  rescue  of 
his  people.  This  Deborah  was  a  prophetess,  and  as  she 
herself  could  not  go  forth  and  fight,  she  sent  Ba'rak,  the 
fourth  judge,  against  the  enemy. 

The  two  armies  met,  and  once  more  the  Israelites  won  a 
great  victory.  They  owed  this  victory  in  part  to  a  great 
storm,  which  injured  the  troops  of  Sisera  only.  Terrified 
by  the  fury  of  the  elements  leagued  against  them,  Sisera's 
soldiers  fled,  but  they  were  soon  overtaken  and  killed  by 
the  Israelites. 

Sisera,  the  captain,  escaped  alone  and  on  foot,  and 
finally  took  refuge  in  the  tent  of  a  woman  named  Ja'el. 
There  he  was  given  a  drink  of  milk,  and  after  telling  the 
woman  to  keep  his  hiding  place  secret,  he  lay  down  and 
went  to  sleep. 

While  he  thus  thought  himself  safe,  Jael  armed  herself 
with  a  tent  pin  and  a  hammer,  crept  up  close  to  her  sleep- 


93 

ing  guest,  and  with  one  terrible  blow  drove  the  pin  right 
through  his  temples  and  deep  into  the  ground.  Then  she 
ran  to  meet  the  pursuing  host,  and,  leading  Barak  into  her 
tent,  showed  him  what  she  had  done.  The  Israelites  had 
again  won  the  victory,  and  the  history  of  this  epoch  closes 
with  Deborah's  song  of  triumph,  in  which  she  relates  how 
Sisera  was  defeated  and  slain. 


>XK< 


XXVI.     RUTH   AND    NAOMI. 

WE  are  told  that  not  very  long  after  the  death  of  Sis- 
era,  an  Israelite  named  Mi'cah  stole  eleven  hundred 
shekels  of  silver  from  his  mother.  She,  little  suspecting 
that  the  thief  was  her  own  son,  cursed  the  robber,  and  sol- 
emnly vowed  to  make  a  molten  and  a  graven  image,  should 
she  ever  recover  her  property. 

Oppressed  by  remorse  for  his  guilt,  Micah  finally  con- 
fessed his  theft.  He  gave  back  the  silver,  and  helped  his 
mother  set  up  the  images  in  his  house,  where  one  of  his 
sons  acted  as  priest. 

Still,  as  the  priesthood  had  been  strictly  confined  to  the 
family  of  Levi,  Micah  was  not  satisfied  with  this  arrange- 
ment. He  knew  no  rest  until  he  had  secured  the  services 
of  a  young  Levite,  who,  for  a  certain  hire,  promised  to 
serve  as  priest  to  the  images,  although  he  knew  that  it 
was  against  the  law. 

Five  spies  from  the  tribe  of  Dan  paused  at  Micah's 
house,  when  on  their  way  to  La'ish,  and  there  consulted 
the  Levite.     As  he  predicted  that  they  would  be  success- 


94 

ful,  the  Dan'ites  rewarded  him  by  taking  him  and  the 
images  with  them  to  Laish.  They  soon  became  masters 
of  that  city,  and  changed  its  name  to  Dan ;  and  then  the 
Levite  was  established  there  as  their  priest. 

Another  episode  belonging  to  this  epoch,  is  the  story  of 
a  Levite,  who,  deserted  by  his  wife,  followed  her  to  her 
father's  house,  and  prevailed  upon  her  to  return  to  him. 
They  set  out  upon  their  homeward  journey  late  in  the 
day,  and  were  forced  to  spend  the  night  at  Gib'e-ah, 
where  an  old  man  entertained  them  hospitably  in  his  own 
house. 

Now  the  people  of  Gibeah  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin, but  they  had  grown  as  wicked  as  the  Sodomites 
of  old.  They  no  sooner  heard  that  there  were  helpless 
strangers  in  the  city,  than  they  attacked  the  house  and 
forced  the  old  man  to  give  up  the  woman.  Then  they  ill- 
treated  her  so  shamefully  that,  when  morning  came,  the 
Levite  found  her  dead  on  the  doorstep. 

This  crime  roused  her  husband's  wrath  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  he  cut  her  body  into  twelve  pieces,  and  sent 
them  to  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  with  a  full  account 
of  the  wrongs  he  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Ben- 
jamites. 

The  result  was  a  general  uprising  of  the  people,  who 
sallied  forth  four  hundred  thousand  strong,  and  killed 
nearly  all  the  Benjamites.  Only  a  few  among  them  man- 
aged to  escape  to  the  mountains,  whence  they  returned,  in 
time,  to  their  eld  homes. 

Here  they  married  the  maidens  taken  from  a  city  which 
was  destroyed ;  but  as  these  were  not  enough  to  supply 
wives  for  them  all,  they  got  two  hundred  more  by  kid- 


Painting  by  Brack  Lajos. 


Ruth. 


(95) 


96 

naping  the  maids  of  Shi'loh  when  they  came  out  of  their 
city  to  dance  at  one  of  the  great  national  festivals. 

The  story  of  Ruth,  which  is  told  at  length  in  the  book 
bearing  her  name,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  episodes  of 
this  age.  It  seems  that  a  certain  man  of  Beth'le-hem  was 
driven  by  famine  into  the  land  of  Moab,  with  his  wife, 
Na-o'mi,  and  his  two  young  sons. 

While  in  the  land  of  the  Moabites,  these  young  men 
married  two  native  women,  Or'pah  and  Ruth,  and  here 
father  and  sons  died,  leaving  three  widows  to  mourn  their 
early  death.  Naomi  was  very  poor,  and  in  her  grief  she 
prepared  to  return  to  her  own  country  and  people. 

When  her  daughters-in-law  heard  of  this  plan,  they  both 
offered  to  go  with  her,  so  that  she  need  not  make  the  jour- 
ney alone.  They  all  three  started  out  on  foot,  but  they 
had  not  gone  very  far  when  Naomi  urged  both  young 
widows  to  go  back  to  their  father's  house,  where  they 
would,  in  time,  forget  their  sorrow,  and  even  marry  again. 

Orpah  listened  to  this  advice,  and  after  taking  a  tearful 
leave  of  Naomi,  she  slowly  went  home.  But  Ruth  clung 
to  her  mother-in-law,  crying :  "  Thy  people  shall  be  my 
people,  and  thy  God  my  God.  Where  thou  diest  will  I 
die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried." 

As  Ruth  would  not  leave  her,  Naomi  now  took  her  to 
Bethlehem,  her  old  home ;  and  the  two  widows  came  there 
at  the  time  of  the  barley  harvest.  They  had  no  money 
wherewith  to  buy  food,  so  Ruth,  who  was  young  and 
strong,  went  out  into  the  country  to  glean ;  that  is  to  say, 
to  pick  up  the  stray  ears  of  grain  which  fell  from  the  full 
sheaves. 

She   soon   came   to   the   harvest   fields    of  Boaz,  a  rich 


97 

kinsman  of  her  father-in-law ;  and  when  this  man  saw  the 
poor  young  woman's  efforts  to  secure  some  grain,  he  kindly 
bade  the  reapers  drop  a  few  handfuls,  so  that  she  might 
have  something  to  eat. 

XXVII.     GIDEON'S    FLEECE. 

RUTH  gleaned  all  day  in  the  harvest  field,  and  when 
evening  came  she  went  joyfully  home  to  show  Na- 
omi how  much  grain  she  had  gathered,  thanks  to  the  kind- 
ness of  that  charitable  man,  Boaz. 

When  Naomi  heard  this  name  she  started,  and  at  once 
told  her  daughter-in-law  of  his  relationship  to  them.  Ruth 
worked  at  gleaning  every  day,  and  at  the  end  of  the  har- 
vest time  she  was  greatly  surprised  when  Naomi  bade  her 
go  back  to  the  field,  enter  the  booth  where  Boaz  and  his 
workmen  slept,  and  lie  down  at  his  feet.  When  he  awoke, 
she  was  to  remind  him  of  the  law  which  commanded  that 
a  widow  was  bound  to  marry  her  husband's  nearest  kins- 
man, whose  duty  it  was  to  take  care  of  her. 

Although  this  custom  seemed  very  strange  to  a  Moabite 
woman,  Ruth  immediately  obeyed.  When  Boaz  awoke 
and  asked  her  what  she  was  doing  there,  she  told  him 
that  she  was  the  widow  of  his  relative,  and  asked  that  he 
should  give  her  her  rights. 

Boaz  then  sent  Ruth  away  with  a  promise  that  he  would 
do  justice  to  her,  although  there  was  a  man  more  nearly 
related  than  he.  Early  the  next  day,  he  found  out  that 
this  man  was  willing  to  give  up  all  claim  to  the  young 
widow ;    and  then  he  publicly  took  Ruth  to  wife. 

STO     OF   CHO.    PEOP. — 7 


98 

Thus  freed  from  want,  Ruth  soon  grew  happy  in  her 
new  home ;  and  she  became  the  mother  of  a  son  named 
O'bed,  the  grandfather  of  David,  a  great  king  of  whom  you 
will  hear  much.  But  Ruth,  the  Moabite  woman,  was  not 
the  only  one  of  David's  ancestors  that  was  not  an  Israelite  ; 
for  Boaz,  as  you  will  remember,  was  the  son  of  Rahab,  who 
was  spared  from  the  general  massacre  when  the  Chosen 
People  took  Jericho. 

The  Israelites,  in  the  mean  while,  had  again  misused  the 
peace  they  had  won,  and  soon  after  the  death  of  Deborah 
and  Barak,  they  again  began  to  worship  idols.  In  punish- 
ment for  this  sin,  they  were  now  allowed  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  Midianites  and  the  Amalekites,  who  came 
in  great  numbers,  being  "as  grasshoppers  for  multitude." 

The  enemy  took  possession  of  the  land,  and  drove  the 
Israelites  to  the  caves  and  dens  in  the  mountain  side. 
Whenever  the  people  of  God  came  down  into  the  valley, 
they  were  illtreated  and  oppressed ;  and  only  at  the  end 
of  seven  years  did  the  Lord  consider  that  they  had  been 
punished  enough,  and  prepare  to  deliver  them. 

The  judge  sent  to  save  them  this  time  was  Gid'e-on,  a 
"  mighty  man  of  valor."  He  was  secretly  threshing  wheat 
near  his  father's  barn,  to  save  it  from  the  Midianite  thieves, 
when  an  angel  of  the  Lord  suddenly  appeared  before  him, 
and  bade  him  rescue  Israel  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Gideon  at  first  tried  to  excuse  himself,  saying  that  he 
was  neither  worthy  of  such  an  honor,  nor  capable  of 
winning  it ;  but  the  angel  repeated  the  command,  and  the 
man,  seeing  that  he  was  talking  to  an  angel,  now  wished 
to  offer  up  a  sacrifice  to  him. 

The  angel,  however,  refused  this  act  of  worship,  which 


99 

was  due  to  God  only,  and  bade  Gideon  lay  the  victim  on 
a  rock.  When  all  was  ready,  the  angel  touched  the  rude 
altar  with  his  staff,  miraculously  setting  fire  to  the  victim, 
and  then  disappeared. 

Gideon  knew  that  the  spot  had  been  made  holy  by  the 
presence  of  a  divine  messenger,  so  he  set  up  an  altar  there. 
That  selfsame  night,  the  Lord  visited  Gideon  in  a  dream, 
and  bade  him  overthrow  the  altar  of  the  heathen  god 
Ba'al,  where  the  people  had  worshiped,  cut  down  the 
sacred  grove,  and  offer  up  his  father's  bullock  in  sacri- 
fice to  the  true  God. 

When  he  awoke,  Gideon  did  as  the  Lord  had  com- 
manded, and  called  all  the  people  together.  While  wait- 
ing for  their  coming,  the  young  leader  prayed  God  to 
show  by  a  sign  that  he  would  save  Israel.  For  this  pur- 
pose, Gideon  spread  out  a  fleece  upon  the  threshing 
floor,  and  asked  that  it  should  be  wet  with  dew,  while 
the  ground  all  around  it  staid  dry. 

When  Gideon  came  on  the  morrow,  he  found  the  fleece 
so  wet  that  he  could  wring  a  great  deal  of  water  out  of  it, 
while  the  ground  all  around  it  was  perfectly  dry.  But  he 
was  not  quite  satisfied  with  this  one  miracle,  so  he  now 
prayed  that  the  fleece  might  remain  dry  and  the  ground 
be  wet. 

This  second  sign  was  granted  also,  and  when  Gideon 
saw  the  dry  fleece  and  wet  ground,  he  believed  all  that 
the  Lord  had  told  him,  and  with  a  force  of  Israelites, 
numbering  thirty-two  thousand  men,  he  marched  off  to 
meet  and  overwhelm  the  enemy. 


IOO 


XXVIII.     DEFEAT    OF   THE    MIDIANITES. 

GIDEON,  as  we  have  seen,  had  a  very  large  army. 
But  all  his  men  were  not  needed  on  this  occasion ; 
for  it  seems  that  the  Lord  wished  to  prove  to  his  Chosen 
People  that  they  needed  only  to  rely  upon  him  and  all 
would  be  well. 

God  therefore  spoke  to  Gideon,  and  in  obedience  to 
his  command  the  general  made  a  proclamation,  saying, 
"  Whosoever  is  fearful  and  afraid,  let  him  return." 
Twenty-two  thousand  men  gladly  seized  the  opportu- 
nity thus  given  to  leave  the  army,  and  hastened  away 
to  a  place  of  safety. 

Then,  seeing  that  the  army  was  still  too  large,  God 
bade  Gideon  lead  his  men  down  to  the  river  to  drink,  and 
select  from  among  them  all  those  who  lapped  the  water. 
When  counted,  these  were  found  to  number  three  hun- 
dred men.  They  were  to  be  Gideon's  only  army,  and 
with  this  handful  of  men  he  was  to  drive  away  all  the 
Midianites. 

That  same  night  God  bade  Gideon  go  alone  with  his 
servant  and  reconnoiter  the  enemy's  camp.  Under  cover 
of  the  darkness,  Gideon  and  his  attendant  drew  near  the 
camp  unseen.  There,  crouching  out  of  sight,  they  over- 
heard a  soldier  relating  a  dream  that  he  had  just  had. 
This  man  said  that  he  had  dreamed  that  a  barley  cake 
had  come  rolling  into  their  camp,  with  such  force  that 
it  had  overthrown  a  Midianite  tent. 

One  of  the  soldier's  companions  then  began  to  interpret 
this  dream,  and  said  that  the  barley  cake  stood  for  the  sword 


101 


of  Gideon,  and  that  it  was  plain  that  the  Midianites  would 
be  conquered.  Gideon,  seeing  that  these  soldiers  were 
already  a  prey  to  superstitious  fears,  now  hastened  back 
to  his  own  camp,  and  roused  his  men.  He  divided  them 
into  three  companies,  armed  them  with  trumpets  and 
empty  pitchers  containing  lighted  lamps,  and  bade  them 
noiselessly  follow  him  and  imitate  his  every  movement. 

Silently  he  now  went  back  to  the  Midianite  camp,  fol- 
lowed by  all  his  men,  and  a  little  before  midnight  he  gave 
the  signal  for  attack.  At  the  same  moment  he  and  all  his 
men  blew  their  trumpets  and  broke  their  pitchers. 

The  sudden  din,  the  crash,  and  the  blinding  light  so 
terrified  the  Midianites  that  they  all  "  cried  and  fled,"  and 
in  their  panic  they  even  fell  upon  each  other  with  drawn 
swords. 

The  Israelites,  urged  by  Gideon,  now  pursued  the  fugi- 
tives, and  slew  many  of  them ;  but  when  they  came  to 
the  towns  of  Suc'coth  and  Pe-nu'el,  they  vainly  tried  to 
obtain  food.  As  this  was  refused  to  them  because  the 
people  feared  to  incur  the  anger  of  the  Midianites,  Gideon 
cursed  the  inhabitants  of  both  cities. 

He  could  not  pause,  however,  and  rushed  on  after  the 
fugitives.  But  when  all  pursuit  was  ended,  and  the  Israel- 
ite army  returned  in  triumph,  Gideon  ordered  that  the 
men  of  Succoth  should  be  beaten  and  the  tower  of  Penuel 
pulled  down.  Next,  he  killed  the  princes  who  had  re- 
fused to  help  him  by  giving  him  food. 

In  their  joy  over  the  successes  they  had  won,  the  Israel- 
ites now  came  to  Gideon  and  asked  him  to  be  their  king ; 
but  he  refused  the  honor,  saying,  "The  Lord  shall  rule 
over  you."     He  did  this  because  he  knew  that  the  govern- 


102 


ment  of  the  Chosen  People  was  to  be  what  is  called  a 
The-oc'ra-cy ;  that  is  to  say,  a  government  in  which  God  is 
the  ruler. 

The  only  reward  which  Gideon  would  accept  for  his 
services  was  the  golden  earrings  worn  by  the  slain  Midian- 
ites.  These  were  collected  for  him,  and  amounted  to  the 
value  of  seventeen  hundred  shekels  of  gold. 

With  this  precious  metal,  and  the  ornaments  taken 
from  the  king's  camels,  Gideon  made  an  Eph'od,  a  rich 
garment  for  the  priest;  and  it  was  not  long  before  the 
ignorant  people  began  to  worship  this,  forgetting  the 
commandment  which  they  had  first  heard  from  Mount 
Sinai  in  the  days  of  Moses. 

Gideon,  the  fifth  judge  of  Israel,  ruled  forty  years,  and 
during  all  that  time  the  Midianites  did  not  dare  renew 
their  oppression.  But  when  he  died,  at  a  good  old  age, 
the  people  again  went  back  to  the  worship  of  Baal,  and 
entirely  forgot  the  Lord  who  had  delivered  them  so  many 
times  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies. 


3*KC 


XXIX.     JEPHTHAH'S  DAUGHTER. 

ALTHOUGH  Gideon  had  refused  the  royal  power, 
it  was  claimed  after  his  death  by  A-bim'e-lech,  one 
of  his  sons.  This  young  man  secured  the  help  of  the 
Shechemites,  and,  to  prevent  any  one  from  disputing  his 
claim  to  the  throne,  he  killed  seventy  of  his  relatives. 

A   prophet  was  sent  to  reprove   the    Shechemites   for 
helping  Abimelech,  and  he  did  so  by  telling  them  a  par- 


103 

able,  or  lesson  taught  by  a  story,  which  is  probably  the 
oldest  in  the  world. 

He  told  them  that  the  trees  once  decided  to  elect  a  king, 
and  chose  the  olive  ;  but  the  olive  tree  refused  to  leave 
its  fatness,  to  serve  other  trees.  The  fig  tree,  which  was 
next  chosen,  refused  to  give  up  its  sweetness,  and  the  vine, 
its  power  to  cheer ;  and  all  the  trees  and  shrubs  found 
some  good  excuse  to  decline  the  honor  of  being  king. 

At  last  the  charge  was  accepted  by  the  worthless  bram- 
ble, which  said  :  "  If  in  truth  ye  anoint  me  king  over  you, 
then  come  and  put  your  trust  in  my  shadow,  and  if  not, 
let  fire  come  out  of  the  bramble  and  devour  the  cedars  of 
Leb'a-non." 

You  see,  all  the  other  trees  were  good  for  something, 
and  had  something  to  live  for  and  to  do ;  but  the  worth- 
less bramble,  which  could  produce  nothing  and  was  only 
fit  for  the  fire,  was  ready  enough  to  accept  the  crown, 
although  it  could  not  even  furnish  shadow  enough  to  pro- 
tect any  one,  and  knew  that  the  other  trees  would  suffer  if 
they  came  near  it,  and  would  perish  in  the  fire  to  which  it 
was  condemned. 

The  prophecy  contained  in  this  parable  was  fulfilled 
three  years  later;  for  Abimelech, — the  worthless  bramble, 
—  having  grown  angry  with  his  former  friends  the  Shech- 
emites,  came  against  them  with  an  army,  defeated  them, 
and  set  fire  to  one  of  their  principal  towers,  where  many 
people  had  taken  refuge. 

He  next  passed  on  to  The'bez,  where  he  again  tried  to 
set  fire  to  the  walls  with  his  own  hand.  But  while  he  was 
thus  occupied,  a  woman  threw  a  fragment  of  a  millstone 
down  upon  his  head,  and  broke  his  skull.     Abimelech  did 


104 

not  die  right  away,  but  had  just  time  to  call  his  armor- 
bearer,  and  bid  the  man  kill  him,  so  that  it  might  never  be 
said  that  a  woman  had  slain  him. 

This  Abimelech  is  reckoned  as  the  sixth  judge  of  Israel, 
although  he  never  did  any  good  to  the  people,  and  thereby 
differed  greatly  from  the  judges  who  came  before  and  after 
him. 

We  are  told  that  the  civil  wars  ended  with  the  death 
of  Abimelech,  and  that  the  two  succeeding  judges  ruled 
peacefully  over  the  Israelites.  But,  as  usual,  the  people 
soon  took  advantage  of  this  prosperity  to  relapse  into  idol- 
atry, and,  as  usual,  they  suffered  for  this  sin  by  falling 
into  the  hands  of  their  enemies. 

This  time  they  were  conquered  by  the  Philistines  and 
the  Ammonites,  who  tormented  them  for  eighteen  years. 
But  when  the  Israelites  had  suffered  enough,  and  were 
thoroughly  humbled,  God  took  compassion  upon  them, 
and  sent  Jeph'thah,  the  ninth  judge,  to  lead  their  armies 
against  the  foe. 

Anxious  to  obtain  a  glorious  victory,  Jephthah  made  a 
rash  vow,  promising  to  offer  up  in  sacrifice  "whatsoever 
cometh  forth  of  the  doors  of  my  house  to  meet  me,  when 
I  return  in  peace  from  the  children  of  Ammon." 

Thanks  to  the  help  of  God,  who  delivered  the  enemies 
into  his  hands,  Jephthah  won  a  grand  victory,  secured 
twenty  towns,  and  so  terrified  the  Ammonites  that  they 
did  not  dare  rise  up  again  until  long  after,  in  the  days  of 
Saul. 

Jephthah  now  returned  to  his  house,  but  all  his  joy  was 
turned  to  sorrow  when  he  saw  his  daughter  come  forth  to 
welcome  him.     Then  only  did  he  remember  his  rash  vow, 


105 

and  realize  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  give  up  his  beloved 
child. 

When  the  girl  heard  of  her  father's  vow,  she  made  no 
resistance,  and  only  asked  that  she  might  have  two  months' 
grace.  At  the  end  of  two  months,  she  came  down  from 
the  mountains  of  Gil'e-ad,  where  she  had  mourned  with 
her  companions.  Whether  her  father  really  made  a  human 
sacrifice,  which  was  not  unheard  of  at  that  day,  or  whether 
he  merely  shut  the  maiden  up  in  a  sort  of  a  convent,  where 
she  would  spend  all  her  time  in  prayer,  remains  a  mystery 
to  this  day ;  for  we  are  only  told  that  he  "  did  with  her 
according  to  his  vow  which  he  had  vowed." 


dX^c 


XXX.      SAMSON'S    RIDDLE. 

WHEN  Jephthah  went  forth  to  fight  the  Ammonites, 
he  did  not  ask  any  help  from  the  E'phra-im-ites. 
They  resented  this  oversight  bitterly,  and  behaved  so  inso- 
lently that  the  followers  of  Jephthah  made  war  against 
them,  and  defeated  them  in  a  pitched  battle. 

When  the  fight  was  won,  Jephthah  was  afraid  that  some 
of  the  Ephraimites  might  cross  the  Jordan,  and,  returning 
home,  give  a  wrong  impression  of  the  quarrel  and  stir  up 
their  whole  tribe  to  war ;  so  he  and  his  followers  decided 
not  to  let  a  man  of  the  conquered  army  escape. 

To  make  sure  of  this,  they  placed  a  guard  at  all  the 
fords  of  the  Jordan,  with  orders,  to  make  every  man  who 
wished  to  cross  pronounce  the  word  "  shibboleth ;  "  for 
the  Ephraimites  could  not  pronounce  this  word. 


(io6) 


107 

After  judging  Israel  six  years,  Jephthah  died  in  Gilead, 
where  he  was  buried.  He  was  succeeded  by  three  judges 
in  turn,  after  whose  rule  the  disobedient  Israelites  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Philistines.  This  time  their  bondage 
lasted  forty  years,  and  Samson,  who  lived  during  the  first 
half  of  this  period,  has  been  called  the  thirteenth  judge  of 
Israel. 

Born  in  the  days  when  E'li  was  high  priest,  Samson 
was  the  son  of  a  Danite.  Before  his  birth,  an  angel  had 
appeared  to  his  mother,  telling  her  that  she  would  have 
a  son,  who  was  to  be  dedicated  to  God  by  a  special  vow, 
and  hence  called  a  Naz'a-rite. 

The  woman  was  so  amazed  at  this  prophecy  that  she 
called  her  husband,  and  the  angel  repeated  it  to  him  be- 
fore vanishing.  The  child  Samson  was  born  as  the  angel 
had  foretold,  and  his  mother  duly  dedicated  him  to  the 
service  of  the  Lord,  and  never  cut  off  his  long  hair,  which 
was  the  outward  sign  of  a  Nazarite. 

All  the  tribes  of  Israel  were  now  under  Philistine  oppres- 
sion, and  when  Samson  became  a  man,  the  spirit  of  God 
began  to  move  him,  and  revealed  itself  principally  in  the 
matchless  strength  and  courage  with  which  he  was  en- 
dowed. 

As  this  strength  all  depended  on  the  keeping  of  his 
vow  to  be  a  Nazarite,  the  Bible  tells  us  that  Samson's 
strength  was  in  his  hair.  The  young  man,  conscious  of 
his  unusual  power,  was  very  brave  indeed,  and  tried  hard 
to  provoke  a  quarrel  with  the  oppressors. 

With  this  purpose  in  view,  he  once  asked  for  the  hand 
of  a  certain  Philistine  woman.  On  his  way  to  visit  her,  a 
lion  rushed  out  upon  him  from  a  neighboring  thicket,  and 


:o8 


would  have  eaten  him  up,  had  not  the  spirit  of  God  come 
upon  him  at  the  moment  of  greatest  need,  and  enabled 
him,  although  unarmed,  to  seize  and  tear  the  lion  to  pieces. 

Some  time  after,  when  passing  along  the  same  road, 
Samson  saw  a  swarm  of  bees  building  their  honeycombs 
in  the  lion's  sun-dried  carcass ;  and  he  ate  some  of  the 
honey.  As  it  was  customary  to  ask  riddles  at  marriage 
festivals,  he  gave  the  following  to  the  Philistines  when  his 
own  wedding  took  place  : 

"  Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat,  and  out  of  the 
strong  came  forth  sweetness." 

The  Philistines  made  vain  efforts  to  find  the  answer  of 
this  riddle,  and  thus  secure  the  prize  of  garments  which 
Samson  had  promised  them.  At  last,  however,  they 
coaxed  the  young  man's  bride  to  reveal  the  answer,  and, 
going  to  him,  triumphantly  cried : 

"  What  is  sweeter  than  honey,  and  what  is  stronger  than 
a  lion  ? " 

Samson,  of  course,  was  surprised  to  hear  that  they  had 
solved  his  riddle;  but  when  he  found  out  that  they  had 
done  so  only  by  fraud,  he  was  very  indignant,  and  re- 
solved to  take  his  revenge.  To  pay  the  promised  reward, 
therefore,  he  slew  thirty  Philistines,  and  gave  their  spoil  to 
the  wedding  guests. 

A  few  months  later,  when  Samson  would  fain  have 
claimed  his  wife,  and  taken  her  home,  he  was  told  that  she 
had  been  given  in  marriage  to  another.  To  avenge  this 
insult  he  tied  firebrands  to  the  tails  of  three  hundred 
captive  foxes,  and  then  let  the  animals  loose  in  the  ripe 
grain  fields.  The  grain  soon  caught  fire,  and  all  the  Phi- 
listine harvest  was  destroyed. 


109 

In  anger,  the  Philistines  now  burned  Samson's  wife  and 
her  father,  and  thereby  so  enraged  the  young  man  that  he 
fell  upon  them,  and  "  smote  them  hip  and  thigh  with  a 
great  slaughter."  Then  he  went  and  took  refuge  on  the 
top  of  the  rock  of  E'tam  in  the  territory  of  Judah. 


£<k< 


XXXI.     THE    FALSE    DELILAH. 

WE  left  Samson  on  top  of  a  steep  rock,  where  he 
had  taken  refuge  after  killing  many  Philistines  to 
avenge  his  wife's  death.  Here  he  staid  until  he  was  cap- 
tured by  an  army  three  thousand  strong. 

To  prevent  the  escape  of  this  prisoner,  the  men  bound 
him  securely  with  new  ropes;  but  Samson  broke  them 
almost  without  effort.  Then,  seizing  the  jawbone  of  an 
ass  lying  near  at  hand,  he  wielded  it  so  vigorously,  and 
to  such  good  purpose,  that  he  soon  stretched  one  thou- 
sand Philistines  dead  at  his  feet,  and  put  to  flight  the 
remainder. 

These  superhuman  efforts  left  Samson  very  weary,  and 
he  was  so  thirsty  that  he  longed  for  a  drink.  To  satisfy 
this  want,  a  spring  of  fresh  water  suddenly  and  miracu- 
lously sprang  out  of  the  jawbone,  and  the  thirsty  hero  was 
able  to  refresh  himself. 

This  massacre  of  the  Philistines  was  a  cause  of  great 
rejoicing  among  the  Israelites,  who  raised  Samson  to  the 
rank  of  judge.  In  spite  of  this  dignity,  however,  Samson 
continued  to  live  as  before,  and  he  once  ventured  into 
Ga'za,  otie  of  the  enemy's  strongholds,  to  pay  a  visit  there. 


Painting  by  Coomans. 
(HO) 


Delilah. 


Ill 


The  Philistines,  hearing  that  their  foe  was  within  their 
walls,  closed  the  city  gates,  intending  to  find  and  kill 
Samson  in  the  morning.  But  the  hero,  starting  on  his 
homeward  journey  at  midnight,  and  finding  the  gates 
closed,  lifted  them  off  their  hinges,  and  bore  them  off 
to  the  top  of  a  neighboring  mountain,  whence  the  peo- 
ple of  Gaza  had  much  trouble  in  bringing  them  down 
once  more. 

Shortly  after  this  adventure,  Samson  married  another 
Philistine  woman  named  De-li'lah.  She  had  been  secretly 
bribed  by  his  enemies  to  discover  the  source  of  his  great 
strength,  and  to  deliver  him  into  their  hands  securely  fas- 
tened with  bonds  which  even  he  could  not  break. 

When  first  asked  by  his  bride  what  bonds  would  hold 
him,  Samson  told  her  that  he  could  not  break  green 
withes.  So  she  once  bound  him  thus,  while  he  was 
asleep,  and  then  awakened  him  by  crying  that  the  Phi- 
listines were  coming ;  but  he  snapped  his  bonds  as  if  they 
had  been  threads. 

Delilah  now  made  two  other  efforts  to  bind  him,  — 
once  with  new  ropes,  and  once  with  seven  strands  of 
his  own  hair,  —  but  these  also  failed  to  hold  him.  Then 
she  pouted  and  coaxed  until  the  giant  told  her  that  the 
real  secret  of  his  strength  lay  entirely  in  the  keeping  of 
his  vow,  and  hence  in  his  unshorn  locks. 

Delilah  therefore  cut  off  Samson's  abundant  hair  while 
he  was  sound  asleep,  bound  him,  and  delivered  him  bodily 
into  the  hands  of  the  cruel  Philistines.  They  put  out  his 
eyes,  and  made  him  grind  wheat  in  their  prison. 

Samson  suffered  untold  agonies  while  thus  in  the  ene- 
my's power.     But  God  had  not  entirely  forsaken  him ;  for, 


as  his  hair  grew  long  again,  he  gradually  felt  his  wonted 
strength  come  back. 

His  enemies,  wishing  to  taunt  him,  once  had  him 
brought  into  the  temple  of  their  god  Da'gon.  The  heavy 
roof  of  this  building  was  supported  by  large  stone  pillars. 
As  it  was  a  great  festival,  several  thousand  Philistines 
were  assembled  there  on  that  occasion,  and  about  three 
thousand  were  on  the  flat  roof. 

After  breathing  a  short,  silent  prayer  for  divine  help, 
Samson  threw  his  powerful  arms  around  two  of  the 
columns,  gave  them  a  mighty  wrench,  and  thus  tore  them 
down.  As  they  fell,  the  heavy  roof  which  they  supported 
came  crashing  down  upon  the  heads  of  the  luckless  Phi- 
listines, whose  taunts  were  still  ringing  in  their  victim's 
ears. 

All  the  people  assembled  there  perished,  and  Samson's 
body,  taken  from  the  ruins,  was  buried  with  his  family  in 
their  ancestral  burying  ground. 


d>«4c 


XXXII.     THE   ARK  CAPTURED. 

SAMSON  was  succeeded  by  Sam'u-el,  the  last  judge  of 
Israel,  and  the  first  prophet  of  a  long  series  which 
was  continuous  until  the  return  from  captivity  in  Babylon, 
as  you  will  see. 

Samuel  was  the  son  of  a  Levite  and  his  wife,  Han'- 
nah.  This  woman,  having  remained  childless  for  many 
years,  once  went  up  to  Shiloh  to  worship  the  Lord.  She 
prayed  so   fervently  before  the  altar  that   Eli,   the    high 


H3 

priest,  concluded  from  her  excited  gestures  that  she  must 
be  the  worse  for  strong  drink. 

He  was  about  to  turn  her  out  of  the  holy  place  when 
she  told  him  the  cause  of  her  grief.  Eli  then  blessed  her, 
and  promised  her  a  son.  When  Samuel  was  born,  Han- 
nah rejoiced  greatly,  but  remembering  the  vow  she  had 
made  to  give  her  child  to  the  Lord,  she  brought  him  to 
the  temple  as  soon  as  he  was  weaned. 

There  the  mother  left  her  only  son  in  the  care  of  Eli, 
the  high  priest,  and  went  home,  where  God  rewarded  her 
for  her  sacrifice  by  giving  her  three  other  sons  and  two 
daughters  to  cheer  her  old  age. 

Eli,  the  high  priest,  was  a  very  good  man,  but  very 
weak.  Instead  of  training  his  sons,  Hoph'ni  and  Phine- 
has,  in  the  way  they  should  go,  he  treated  them  with 
such  indulgence  that  they  soon  took  to  evil  ways. 

When  the  father  saw  this,  he  called  his  sons  to  him, 
reproached  them  for  their  bad  conduct,  and  sadly  com- 
pared them  to  Samuel,  who  "  was  in  favor  both  with  the 
Lord  and  also  with  men."  But  this  reproof  came  too  late, 
and  the  young  men  went  on  doing  wrong,  until  a  prophet 
came  to  tell  Eli  that  both  his  sons  would  die  on  the  same 
day,  and  that  instead  of  them  God  would  find  a  priest 
worthy  of  serving  him. 

Eli  was  already  very  old  and  nearly  blind.  He  dwelt  in 
the  temple,  where  he  once  laid  himself  down  to  sleep  in  his 
chamber.  Near  him,  but  in  another  room,  lay  Samuel,  and 
there  the  voice  of  the  Lord  suddenly  called  the  child. 

With  cheerful  readiness,  Samuel  answered,  "  Here  am 
I."  He  thought  that  the  aged  high  priest  had  called  him, 
so  he  ran  into  Eli's  room'  to  ask  his  wishes.     But  Eli  sent 

STO.  OF  CHO.  PEOP.  —  8 


U4 

Samuel  back  to  bed,  thinking  that  he  had  been  dreaming. 
The  call  was  twice  repeated,  and  at  last  the  priest  bade 
Samuel  answer,  should  he  hear  the  voice  again,  "Speak, 
Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth."  Once  more  the  voice  fell 
upon  Samuel's  listening  ear,  and  when  he  had  answered, 
according  to  Eli's  orders,  the  Lord  said  that  he  would 
execute  judgment  upon  the  sons  of  Eli,  who  would  die  in 
punishment  for  their  sins. 

When  morning  came,  Eli  called  Samuel  to  him,  and 
asked  what  the  Lord  had  said.  Samuel  now  reluctantly 
repeated  the  words  he  had  heard,  and  the  old  man,  whose 
heart  was  broken  with  grief,  bowed  his  head  and  cried  : 
"It  is  the  Lord;  let  him  do  what  seemeth  him  good." 

From  that  day  Samuel  was  a  prophet  of  the  Lord, 
and  he  silently  watched  the  Israelites,  who  were  gather- 
ing their  forces  together ;  for  they  had  decided  to  make 
a  great  effort  to  free  themselves  from  the  hated  yoke  of 
the  Philistines. 

In  the  very  first  battle,  however,  the  Israelites  were 
defeated,  and  lost  four  thousand  men.  Eli's  sons,  Hophni 
and  Phinehas,  thought  that  they  might  be  more  success- 
ful if  they  only  had  the  Ark  in  their  midst ;  so  they  now 
brought  it  into  camp,  although  they  had  no  authority  for 
doing  so. 

The  Israelites,  who  remembered  the  miracle  of  the  Jor- 
dan and  the  falling  of  the  walls  of  Jericho,  received  the 
Ark  with  loud  shouts  of  joy.  But  this  gladness  was  soon 
turned  into  mourning;  for,  in  the  very  next  battle,  the 
Philistines,  fighting  with  the  energy  of  despair,  killed 
Hophni  and  Phinehas,  together  with  thousands  of  their 
followers,  and  gained  possession  of  the  precious  Ark. 


n5 

They  bore  this  treasure  off  in  triumph,  —  for  they  knew 
the  immense  importance  it  had  in  the  eyes  of  the  Israel- 
ites, —  and  placed  it  as  a  trophy  in  the  temple  of  Dagon, 
their  principal  god,  who  was  half  man  and  half  fish. 

The  news  of  the  Israelites'  defeat  and  great  loss  was 
quickly  carried  to  Shiloh  by  a  soldier  who  managed  to 
escape  from  the  general  massacre.  He  presented  himself 
before  Eli,  with  torn  garments  and  with  earth  on  his  head, 
in  token  of  great  mourning. 

The  high  priest  was  silent  and  apparently  unmoved,  as 
he  heard  of  the  death  of  his  sons  and  the  destruction  of 
the  army ;  but  when  the  messenger  added  that  the  Ark  of 
God  had  fallen  into  the  enemy's  hands,  Eli  fell  back  from 
his  seat  and  died. 

That  same  day,  the  young  wife  of  Phinehas  heard  the 
mournful  tidings,  and  gave  birth  to  a  son,  whom  she 
called  Ich'a-bod  ("where  is  the  glory  ?"),  because  with  the 
loss  of  the  sacred  Ark  she  said,  "The  glory  is  departed 
from  Israel." 


>XXc 


XXXIII.     THE   RETURN    OF   THE   ARK. 

THE  Philistines,  who  had  won  such  a  brilliant  victory, 
and  had  secured  such  a  fine  prize,  were  beside  them- 
selves with  joy.  But  when  they  again  entered  their  tem- 
ple, this  joy  was  changed  into  amazement;  for  they  found 
their  god  lying  in  fragments  at  the  foot  of  the  Ark. 

Soon  after,  all  the  men  of  the  city  became  ill,  and  hosts 
of  mice  overran  the  land,  causing  great  damage.     They 


n6 


soon  blamed  the  Ark  for  these  misfortunes,  and  carried  it 
elsewhere;  but  wherever  it  went,  plagues  and  calamities 
went  with  it.  Weary  of  suffering,  the  Philistines  finally 
made  up  their  minds  to  send  the  Ark  back  to  the  Israelites. 

Under  the  direction  of  their  priests,  they  made  golden 
emblems  of  their  plagues,  placed  them  in  a  coffer  of  pre- 
cious wood,  and  set  it  with  the  Ark  upon  a  new  cart,  to 
which  they  harnessed  two  young  cows  that  had  never 
yet  borne  the  yoke. 

These  animals  were  allowed  to  go  as  they  pleased,  and 
soon  turned  into  the  road  leading  to  Beth-she'mesh,  slowly 
followed  by  five  Philistine  lords,  who  wished  to  see  what 
would  happen.  The  cart  passed  near  some  harvest  fields, 
where  the  Israelites  were  working,  and  when  they  saw  the 
Ark  they  rejoiced  aloud. 

Then  the  Levites  came  forward  and  took  possession  of 
the  treasure.  They  used  the  cart  for  firewood  and  the 
cows  for  victims,  and  offered  up  a  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving 
for  the  miraculous  return  of  the  Ark  which  they  had  lost. 

But  some  of  the  men,  having  ventured  to  peer  into  the 
Ark  in  idle  curiosity,  were  slain.  When  the  people  of 
Beth-shemesh  saw  this,  they  were  afraid  to  keep  the  Ark 
among  them,  and  begged  the  men  of  Kir-jath-je'a-rim  to 
take  it  into  their  city.  This  request  was  cheerfully  com- 
plied with,  and  the  Ark  remained  there  for  many  years, 
causing  many  blessings  to  fall  upon  the  house  under  whose 
roof  it  had  found  shelter. 

The  Israelites  had  failed  to  shake  off  the  Philistine 
yoke  as  easily  as  they  expected ;  so  they  now  gladly  listened 
to  Samuel's  advice,  and  began  to  repent  of  their  sins.  To 
recover  the  favor  of  God,  they  set  aside  the  idols  which 


ii7 

they  worshiped.  Then  they  came  together  at  Miz'peh 
and  implored  Samuel  to  pray  aloud  in  their  behalf. 

In  the  very  midst  of  this  prayer,  their  old  enemies,  the 
Philistines,  fell  upon  them.  But  this  time  the  Lord  was 
with  his  people,  and  he  sent  a  sudden  and  timely  thunder- 
storm, which  filled  the  hearts  of  the  Philistines  with 
superstitious  dread.  They  were  so  terrified  that  they 
turned  and  fled,  and  thus  the  Israelites  won  an  easy 
victory. 

This  battle  put  an  end  to  the  Philistine  oppression, 
which  had  lasted  forty  years ;  and  Samuel,  growing  old, 
now  judged  Israel  with  the  help  of  his  two  sons.  The 
prophet  dwelt  at  Ra'mah,  where  the  people  often  came 
to  consult  him,  because  they  knew  that  he  could  give 
them  very  good  advice. 

The  end  of  Samuel's  long  life  was  clouded  on  account 
of  the  bad  behavior  of  his  sons,  and  because  of  the  per- 
sistent request  of  the  elders  that  he  would  give  them  a 
king.  They  said  that  they  wanted  such  a  ruler  to  de- 
fend them  in  case  of  new  attacks  on  the  part  of  their 
enemies. 

Samuel  vainly  tried  to  convince  the  elders  that  God 
was  the  best  king,  and  that  the  theocracy  under  which 
they  lived  was  the  very  best  system  of  government  for 
them ;  they  would  not  believe  him.  So  Samuel,  warned 
by  God  that  it  would  be  well  to  give  the  people  their 
own  way,  finally  told  them  that  he  would  soon  choose 
a  king  for  them. 

A  few  days  later,  a  young  man  named  Saul  came  to 
the  prophet  to  ask  where  he  could  find  his  father's  asses, 
which  had  wandered  out  of  their  pasture  and  were  lost. 


u8 


Advised  by  God,  Samuel  led  the  man  into  his  own  house, 
told  him  that  the  asses  were  already  found,  and,  after 
detaining  him  over  night,  started  out  with  him  on  his 
homeward  journey  on  the  morrow. 


&*Zc 


XXXIV.     SAUL,    KING   OF   ISRAEL. 

SAMUEL  and  Saul  had  not  gone  very  far  before  the 
prophet  bade  the  young  man  send  his  servant  on  ahead. 
When  the  man  had  gone,  and  they  were  alone,  Samuel 
told  Saul  to  stop,  and  took  out  "  a  vial  of  oil,  and  poured 
it  upon  his  head,  and  kissed  him."  This  was  to  show  that 
he  took  Saul  for  his  king. 

As  Saul  seemed  to  be  somewhat  amazed  and  doubtful, 
Samuel  told  him  that  he  had  been  made  king  by  God's 
will,  and  that  as  a  proof  he  would  soon  hear  of  the  safety 
of  his  father's  asses,  would  receive  a  present,  and  would  be 
inspired  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  to  utter  a  prophecy. 

All  these  things  happened  just  as  Samuel  had  foretold ; 
and  the  people,  hearing  Saul  prophesy  for  the  first  time, 
exclaimed  in  wonder  :  "  Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets?" 
The  new  king  did  not  immediately  assume  his  royal  state, 
however,  but  returned  quietly  to  his  father's  house. 

Not  very  long  after  this  event,  Samuel  called  all  the 
elders  of  the  people  together,  and  bade  them  select  their 
king  by  lot.  Their  choice  also  fell  upon  Saul ;  but  when 
his  name  was  called,  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen,  although 
he  was  taller  than  any  one  else.  It  seems  that  he  had 
hidden  himself  through  modesty ;  but  the  people  at  once 


ii9 

began  to  search  for  him,  and  he  was  soon  forced  to  come 
out  from  his  hiding  place. 

Saul  was  led  into  the  very  midst  of  the  assembled  peo- 
ple and  was  welcomed  with  the  cheer:  "God  save  the 
king !  "  So  far  as  we  know,  this  is  the  first  time  that  writ- 
ers mention  this  cry,  which  has  since  been  heard  many 
times  and  in  many  countries. 

Escorted  by  a  volunteer  bodyguard,  Saul  went  home  to 
Gibeah,  where  he  quietly  staid  until  the  people  of  another 
town  begged  him  to  save  them  from  the  hands  of  their 
enemies,  the  Ammonites,  who  kept  them  closely  besieged. 

Prompted  by  the  spirit  of  God,  Saul  now  collected  an 
army  of  three  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  men,  fell  sud- 
denly upon  the  Ammonites,  and  completely  defeated  them. 
Then  he  went  to  Gilgal,  where  Samuel  publicly  laid  down 
his  charge  as  judge,  and  gave  the  people  over  to  Saul's  care. 

Although  the  great  army  had  gone  home,  Saul  soon 
raised  a  new  force  of  three  thousand  men,  with  which  he 
proceeded  to  make  war  on  the  enemies  of  Israel.  In  this 
work  he  was  greatly  helped  by  his  son  Jon'a-than,  a  young 
man  of  great  valor. 

Saul's  small  army  was  once  encamped  at  Gilgal,  when 
they  became  frightened  at  the  numbers  of  the  enemy,  and 
postponed  an  attack,  intending  to  wait  until  Samuel  could 
come  and  offer  up  a  prayer  in  their  behalf.  But  Samuel 
did  not  come  as  soon  as  he  was  expected;  so  Saul  became 
impatient,  and  decided  that  he  would  offer  up  the  sacrifice, 
although  he  knew  that  he  had  no  right  to  do  so. 

Saul  had  just  finished  this  religious  ceremony  when 
Samuel  appeared.  The  prophet,  who  knew  that  the  king 
had  done  wrong,  now  reproved  him,  and  foretold  that  in 


120 


punishment  for  this  sin  the  crown  would  not  long  remain 
in  his  hands,  and  would  never  belong  to  his  children. 

When  Saul  heard  these  words,  he  was  troubled  and 
ashamed,  and  did  not  dare  to  begin  the  war.  The  Phi- 
listines, seeing  this,  spread  rapidly  over  the  country,  and 
took  away  all  the  weapons  that  the  Israelites  had.  Then 
they  carried  away  all  the  smiths,  and  thus  forced  the 
Chosen  People  to  come  into  their  enemy's  camp  to  have 
even  their  tools  sharpened. 

This  tyranny  soon  became  so  unbearable  that  Jonathan 
resolved  to  end  it.  Accompanied  only  by  his  armor- 
bearer,  he  boldly  entered  the  Philistine  camp,  and  slew 
many  men.  A  timely  earthquake,  occurring  at  the  same 
moment,  bewildered  the  Philistines  so  sorely  that  they  fell 
upon  one  another  with  drawn  swords.  Their  own  work  of 
destruction  was  then  finished  by  the  Israelites,  who  crept 
out  of  the  caves  where  they  had  taken  refuge,  and  joined 
in  the  slaughter  with  hearty  good  will. 

This  massacre  was  finally  seen  from  Saul's  camp,  and 
he  gave  his  men  orders  to  follow  the  fugitives,  rashly  add- 
ing :  "  Cursed  be  the  man  that  eateth  any  food  until  even- 
ing." Saul  said  these  words,  intending  to  show  his  men 
that  they  must  pursue  the  enemy  without  stopping  for 
rest  or  refreshment ;  and  he  little  thought  that  the  curse 
would  fall  upon  his  own  son. 

It  seems  that  Jonathan  had  not  heard  his  father's  com- 
mand ;  and,  in  passing  through  a  forest,  he  dipped  his  rod 
in  a  honeycomb,  and  put  it  to  his  mouth.  This  act  of 
disobedience  was  soon  discovered  by  Saul,  who  would  have 
punished  it  by  death,  as  he  had  vowed,  had  not  all  the 
people  insisted  that  their  favorite  Jonathan  must  live. 


121 


XXXV.     THE    ANOINTING   OF    DAVID. 

THE  campaign  against  the  Philistines  was  followed  by 
a  long  series  of  victories  over  the  Moabites,  Ammon- 
ites, Edomites,  and  Amalekites,  and  Saul,  having  subdued 
all  his  enemies,  could  at  last  assume  the  royal  state.  But 
even  in  the  midst  of  his  splendor  he  could  not  forget 
Samuel's  prophecy,  and  kept  wondering  how  he  could 
secure  the  crown  to  his  descendants. 

From  time  to  time  the  prophet  Samuel  still  appeared 
at  the  king's  court,  to  bring  him  God's  commands,  and  on 
one  occasion  he  bade  Saul  fight  the  Amalekites,  and 
utterly  destroy  them  and  all  their  possessions.  Instead  of 
obeying  this  order  faithfully,  Saul  carried  it  out  only  in 
part;  for  he  divided  the  best  of  the  spoil  among  his  people, 
and  spared  the  life  of  A'gag,  the  King  of  the  Amalekites. 

But  on  the  way  home  Saul  was  met  by  Samuel,  to 
whom  God  had  said :  "  It  repenteth  me  that  I  have  set 
up  Saul  to  be  king."  When  Samuel  reproved  Saul  for 
his  disobedience,  the  king  vainly  tried  to  excuse  himself 
by  saying  that  he  had  saved  the  cattle  to  offer  up  in 
sacrifice';  but  the  prophet  would  not  listen  to  him. 

Then  Samuel  went  on  to  tell  Saul  that  on  account  of 
his  disobedience,  he  would  no  longer  be  helped  by  God. 
Terrified  by  these  words,  the  king  now  clung  to  the 
prophet's  mantle,  imploring  forgiveness  for  his  sins,  until 
a  piece  of  the  garment  was  torn  off  and  remained  in  his 
hands. 

The  prophet  made  use  of  this  accident  to  illustrate  the 
meaning  of   his  words,  and  said:    "  The  Lord  hath  rent 


22 


the  kingdom  of  Israel  from  thee  this  day,  and  hath  given 
it  to  a  neighbor  of  thine  that  is  better  than  thou."  But 
before  leaving  court,  Samuel  himself  saw  that  God's  com- 
mands were  fully  obeyed,  by  sending  for  the  captive  king 
Agag,  and  cutting  off  his  head. 

This  was  Samuel's  last  visit  to  Saul,  whom  the  Lord 
had  now  forsaken ;  but  the  prophet  mourned  this  king's 
disobedience  so  sorely  that  God  reproved  him.  At  the 
same  time  the  Lord  bade  Samuel  take  a  vial  of  oil,  and 
go  to  the  house  of  Jes'se,  the  grandson  of  Ruth,  where 
he  would  find  the  new  king. 

Samuel  obeyed,  and  when  he  had  reached  Jesse's  house, 
he  asked  to  see  the  man's  sons.  Seven  of  Ruth's  stalwart 
great-grandsons  passed  before  the  prophet,  but  it  was  only 
when  David,  the  eighth  and  youngest,  appeared,  that  the 
divine  voice  spoke  to  Samuel,  saying :  "  Arise,  anoint  him, 
for  this  is  he." 

No  sooner  had  this  future  king  been  anointed,  in  the 
midst  of  his  family,  than  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  forsook 
Saul  and  fell  upon  David.  From  that  moment,  too,  Saul 
seemed  possessed  at  times  by  an  evil  spirit  which  drove 
him  to  wild  acts. 

The  anointing  of  David  was  Samuel's  last  public  deed 
before  he  finally  withdrew  to  his  home  at  Ramah.  But 
David  resumed  his  peaceful  occupation  as  shepherd,  and 
learned  to  sing  and  play,  a  talent  which  later  won  for  him 
the  title  of  "  Sweet  Singer  in  Israel."  Then,  too,  he  gave 
the  first  signs  of  the  dauntless  courage  which  was  to  dis- 
tinguish him  all  through  life,  and  bravely  defended  his 
flocks  from  the  attacks  of  lions  and  bears,  and  even  of 
Philistine  thieves. 


Painting  by  Elizabeth  Gardiner. 


David. 


(123) 


124 

•  All  through  the  reign  of  Saul,  the  Israelites  were  forced 
to  contend  with  the  Philistines.  These  enemies  of  the 
Chosen  People  grew  bolder  and  bolder,  and  when  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord  forsook  the  king,  they  began  to  get  the  better 
of  him.  Encouraged  by  success,  they  finally  assembled 
all  their  forces  at  a  mountain  in  the  Israelite  territory, 
where  Saul  came  with  his  army  to  oppose  them. 

In  the  ranks  of  the  Israelites  there  were  three  of  Jesse's 
sons,  and  David  frequently  came  down  to  visit  them.  It 
was  in  the  course  of  one  of  these  brief  sojourns  with  the 
army,  that  he  once  saw  a  Philistine  giant  step  forth,  and 
heard  him  boastfully  challenge  the  Israelites  to  single 
combat. 

No  one  accepted  the  challenge,  until,  moved  by  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord,  David  offered  to  fight  the  giant.  As 
soon  as  this  offer  was  made  known,  David  was  led  into 
the  presence  of  Saul,  where  he  firmly  declared  that  God, 
who  had  "  delivered  him  out  of  the  paw  of  the  lion  and 
out  of  the  paw  of  the  bear,"  would  surely  save  him  from 
the  hand  of  the  giant  Philistine. 


&KC 


XXXVI.     DAVID   AND    GOLIATH. 

WHEN  Saul  heard  David  firmly,  yet  modestly,  assert 
his  trust  in  the  help  of  the  Lord,  he  no  longer 
dared  oppose  the  youth ;  so  he  not  only  allowed  David  to 
go  forth  and  fight,  but  even  offered  to  lend  him  some 
costly  armor,  and  helped  him  to  put  on  the  cuirass  and 
helmet. 


125 

The  young  shepherd,  however,  was  not  used  to  the 
weight  of  arms,  and  he  staggered  and  nearly  fell  when  in 
full  battle  array.  Seeing  that  such  an  outfit  was  not  for 
him,  David  now  said  that  he  would  rather  meet  the  giant 
with  nothing  but  his  shepherd's  staff  and  the  sling  which 
he  handled  with  great  skill. 

After  choosing  a  few  smooth  stones  down  by  a  brook, 
the  boyish  champion  went  boldly  forth  to  meet  the  Phi- 
listine warrior,  whose  name  was  Go-li'ath.  This  giant 
viewed  David's  approach  with  great  scorn,  and  began  to 
taunt  him,  but  all  his  boasts  were  soon  silenced  by  a  swift 
stone  from  David's  sling,  which  pierced  his  forehead  and 
sank  into  his  brain. 

When  Goliath  fell,  David  sprang  forward,  and,  seizing 
the  giant's  huge  sword,  used  it  to  cut  off  his  head.  The 
Philistines,  seeing  that  their  champion  warrior  had  fallen, 
turned  and  fled  in  sudden  dismay ;  but  they  were  soon  pur- 
sued and  slaughtered  without  mercy  by  the  Israelite  army. 

David's  courage  and  skill  roused  the  admiration  of  all 
the  nation,  and  even  of  Saul's  daughter,  whose  hand  was 
promised  him  in  marriage  in  reward  for  his  bravery.  The 
marriage  was  not  to  take  place  at  once,  however,  and  in 
the  mean  while  David  was  called  upon  to  soothe  the  king's 
outbursts  of  wrath  by  the  sweet  tones  of  his  voice  and 
harp. 

At  first  Saul  listened  to  his  harper  with  delight,  but 
little  by  little  he  grew  jealous  of  the  bright  youth  whom 
everybody  praised.  Soon  he  overheard  the  people  exalt- 
ing the  young  warrior,  and  saying :  "  Saul  hath  slain  his 
thousands,  and  David  his  ten  thousands,"  and  then  his 
wicked  envy  gained  the  upper  hand. 


126 


In  a  fit  of  rage  the  mad  king  therefore  once  flung  his 
spear  at  the  youth,  while  he  was  playing  his  harp,  but 
fortunately  the  weapon  missed  the  mark.  A  second 
similar  attempt  was  equally  fruitless ;  and  Saul,  seeing 
that  he  could  not  kill  David,  now  resolved  to  insult  him. 

Instead  of  giving  David  his  daughter's  hand  in  marriage, 
as  he  had  promised,  Saul  bestowed  her  upon  another 
suitor.  Then,  finding  that  Mi'chal,  his  younger  daughter, 
had  fallen  in  love  with  David,  he  told  the  youth  that  he 
might  have  her  if  he  would  kill  one  hundred  Philistines. 
This  condition  was  made  because  Saul  hoped  that  David 
would  fall  by  the  hand  of  the  enemy  ;  but  the  young  man 
went  forth,  slew  two  hundred  Philistines,  and,  securing 
their  spoil,  came  and  laid  it  at  Saul's  feet,  claiming  his 
promised  bride. 

As  no  further  pretext  could  be  found  to  delay  the  mar- 
riage, Saul  gave  his  daughter  Michal  to  David,  as  he  had 
promised. 

But  although  he  had  thus  been  forced  to  acknowledge 
David's  services,  Saul  still  hated  his  son-in-law,  and  he 
once  bade  his  courtiers  and  his  son  Jonathan  kill  the  young 
hero. 

Jonathan  was  faithful  to  David,  his  chosen  friend,  and 
therefore  interceded  for  him,  and  succeeded  in  partly  dis- 
arming Saul's  wrath.  But  when  a  new  fit  of  madness  came 
upon  the  king,  his  anger  all  returned,  and  he  hired  assas- 
sins to  steal  into  David's  room  and  murder  him  in  his  sleep. 

Warned  by  Michal  of  the  threatening  danger,  David 
fled  secretly  and  by  night,  while  his  wife  deceived  the  mur- 
derers by  making  the  image  of  a  man  and  placing  it  in  her 
husband's  bed.. 


127 


XXXVII.     DAVID'S   FLIGHT. 

DAVID  had  narrowly  escaped  death  on  several  occa- 
sions, as  we  have  seen,  and  now  he  did  not  dare 
return  to  the  king's  palace.  He  therefore  withdrew  to  a 
place  near  Ramah,  where  Saul's  messengers  soon  came  to 
take  him  prisoner.  They  did  not  dare  do  so,  however; 
for  on  the  way  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them, 
and  forced  them  to  prophesy  against  their  will. 

When  Saul  heard  of  the  utter  failure  of  this  attempt  to 
secure  David,  he  himself  went  out  in  search  of  him ;  but 
being  overcome  on  the  way  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord,  he 
too  dared  do  no  harm,  and  merely  invited  his  son-in-law  to 
return  to  court. 

David  did  not  know  whether  he  could  trust  to  Saul's  ap- 
parent friendship,  so  he  had  a  secret  interview  with  Jona- 
than. The  king's  son  gladly  offered  to  find  out  whether  it 
would  be  safe  for  David  to  return,  and  to  give  him  timely 
warning  should  any  immediate  danger  threaten  him. 

Jonathan,  feeling  sure  from  his  father's  actions  that 
David  was  still  viewed  with  dislike,  soon  went  out  into  a 
field  where  he  knew  that  David  was  hiding.  As  he  did 
not  dare  seek  his  friend  openly,  he  made  believe  to  prac- 
tice shooting ;  for  he  had  agreed  with  David  that  his  orders 
to  the  lad  who  picked  up  his  arrows  would  be  intended  as 
information  whether  or  not  the  king  could  be  trusted. 

David,  therefore,  listened  attentively,  and  learned  that 
he  must  fly;  but  after  the  lad  had  gone,  Jonathan  drew 
near  the  hiding  place,  to  take  a  brief  but  affectionate  fare- 
well of  his  dearest  friend. 


128 


In  obedience  to  the  advice  which  he  had  thus  obtained 
from  Jonathan,  David  quickly  fled.  As  he  was  unarmed 
and  without  provisions,  he  made  use  of  a  stratagem  to 
secure  food  and  a  sword.  He  entered  the  house  of  the 
high  priest,  and  pretended  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  a 
message  from  Saul,  and  that  his  servants  were  waiting 
for  him  near  by.  Then  he  asked  for  and  obtained  the 
sword  of  Goliath,  and  five  of  the  sacred  loaves  of  shew- 
bread,  which  the  priests  alone  were  allowed  to  eat. 

Thus  armed  and  refreshed,  David  made  his  way  to  the 
court  of  a  certain  Philistine  king,  where  a  new  danger 
threatened  him,  and  where  he  escaped  death  only  by  pre- 
tending to  be  crazy. 

From  this  place  David  soon  passed  on  to  the  cave  of 
A-dul'lam,  where  he  dwelt  for  some  time.  He  was  joined 
here  by  his  brothers,  and  by  a  large  force  of  Israelites, 
who,  displeased  with  the  actions  of  their  king,  now  took 
sides  against  him. 

To  prevent  Saul's  harming  his  parents  in  any  way,  David 
secretly  led  them  into  the  land  of  Moab,  where  he  left  them 
under  the  protection  of  the  king.  Then,  fearing  nothing 
for  himself,  he  set  out  with  four  hundred  men  to  wage  war 
on  his  own  account  with  his  old  enemies,  the  Philistines. 

While  he  was  thus  an  outcast  and  a  wanderer,  David 
met  with  many  adventures,  only  a  few  of  which  are  re- 
corded in  the  Bible.  For  instance,  three  of  his  followers 
once  cut  their  way  through  the  Philistine  camp,  which 
surrounded  them  on  all  sides,  merely  to  get  some  water 
to  quench  his  thirst. 

But  David  was  too  generous  a  man  to  enjoy  a  drink 
secured  at  the  risk  of  his  friends'  lives ;  and,  to  prevent 


I29 

their  ever  venturing  forth  thus  rashly  again,  he  poured  it 
all  out  on  the  ground,  exclaiming  reproachfully:  "Shall 
I  drink  the  blood  of  these  men  that  have  put  their 
lives  in  jeopardy  ?  " 

While  he  was  living  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  David  once 
received  a  visit  from  the  prophet  Gad,  who  bade  him  go 
into  the  land  of  Judah.  But  no  sooner  had  David  done 
so,  than  Saul  came  after  him  to  make  another  attempt  to 
kill  him. 

On  the  way,  Saul  heard  for  the  first  time  that  the  high 
priest  had  seen  David,  and  had  helped  him  in  his  flight. 
In  his  anger  at  this  news,  Saul  had  the  priest  and  eighty- 
five  of  his  assistants  slain,  as  well  as  all  the  citizens  of  the 
unfortunate  town  where  they  lived. 

Only  one  of  them,  A-bi'a-thar,  son  of  the  high  priest, 
managed  to  escape  from  the  general  massacre.  Fleeing 
for  his  life,  he  joined  David,  who  now  bitterly  repented  of 
his  deception,  and  mourned  over  the  terrible  consequences 
which  had  resulted  from  it. 

Advised  by  Abiathar  and  Gad,  the  high  priest  and  the 
prophet,  David  began  to  fight  against  the  Philistines.  He 
defeated  them  with  great  slaughter,  and  then  remained 
at  the  city  of  Kei'lah  until  warned  by  God  that  the  men 
of  that  place  were  about  to  betray  him  into  Saul's  hands. 


>*K< 


XXXVIII.      DAVID'S   GENEROSITY. 

FORCED  to  leave  Keilah  because  he  could  no  longer 
trust   the    people  around    him,   David    now  fled    into 
the  wilderness,  where  Saul  vainly  sought  him.     Here  David 

STO.  OF  CHO.  PEOP.  —  9 


130 

* 
had  a  last  interview  with  Jonathan,  who  assured  him  that 
he  would  in  time  be  king  over  all  Israel. 

Then,  still  pursued  by  Saul,  David  fled  on;  and  he 
would  surely  have  been  made  prisoner,  had  not  the  king- 
been  turned  aside  by  a  sudden  raid  on  the  part  of  the 
Philistines.  While  Saul  was  waging  war  against  these 
old  foes,  David  made  his  way  to  En-ge'di. 

But  as  soon  as  the  war  with  the  Philistines  was  ended, 
Saul  resumed  the  pursuit  of  David,  and,  coming  to  Engedi, 
he  stopped  to  rest  in  a  cave.  He  slept  there  peacefully, 
little  suspecting  that  the  foe  whom  he  had  come  to  seek 
lay  but  a  few  feet  from  him. 

While  the  king  slept  in  the  midst  of  his  guard,  David 
noiselessly  stole  out  of  the  dark  recesses  of  the  cave 
where  he  had  been  hiding.  He  stole  up  to  the  sleeping 
king,  and  cut  off  a  piece  of  the  royal  mantle,  which  he 
bore  off  as  a  trophy  when  he  went  away. 

When  Saul  and  his  army  were  riding  off  on  the  morrow, 
David  suddenly  appeared  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave  and 
showed  him  the  piece  of  his  garment.  The  young  man 
urged  that  this  was  a  good  proof  of  his  innocence,  seeing 
that  he  had  not  tried  to  harm  the  king  when  it  was  in 
his  power   to  do  so. 

Saul,  touched  by  the  generosity  of  David,  who  could  so 
easily  have  killed  him  in  his  sleep,  now  gave  up  all 
thought  of  harming  his  son-in-law,  and  cried :  "  Thou 
art  more  righteous  than  I;  for  thou  hast  rewarded  me 
good,  whereas  I  have  rewarded  thee  evil." 

As  the  pursuit  was  thus  ended  for  the  time  being, 
David  supported  himself  for  a  while  by  the  gifts  of  neigh- 
boring farmers,  whom,  in  exchange,  he  protected  from  tht- 


Drawn  by  R.  B.  Birch. 


David  and  Saul. 


(131) 


132 

raids  of  their  enemies.  On  one  occasion  David  sent  ten 
young  men  to  the  farm  of  Na'bal,  to  ask  for  the  usual 
provisions.  But  Nabal  churlishly  refused  to  give  any, 
and  would  have  been  punished  sorely  by  David  and  his 
angry  troops,  had  not  his  wife,  Ab'i-gail,  hastened  to  ap- 
pease their  wrath. 

She  took  an  ample  supply  of  food,  and  brought  it  to 
David  in  person  ;  then,  falling  at  his  feet,  she  implored  him 
to  spare  her  husband  and  family.  Pleased  by  her  gifts,  and 
touched  by  her  beauty,  David  consented ;  and  when  Nabal 
died,  he  took  Abigail  for  his  wife,  for  Michal,  the  king's 
daughter,  had  during  his  absence  been  given  in  marriage 
to  another  man. 

The  memory  of  David's  generosity  did  not  linger  long 
in  Saul's  mind,  so  we  soon  hear  of  his  starting  out  again 
to  seize  and  kill  David.  But  the  young  hero,  accom- 
panied by  only  one  servant,  slipped  one  night  into  the 
king's  camp  and  tent,  and  left  it  unseen,  carrying  off 
Saul's  spear  and  cup. 

When  he  reached  a  hill  opposite  the  sleeping  army, 
David  raised  his  voice  and  awoke  the  sleepers.  Then, 
holding  up  his  trophies  in  full  sight  of  them  all,  he  again 
told  Saul  what  he  had  done.  As  in  the  meeting  at  the 
cave  of  Engedi,  Saul  felt  touched  by  David's  kindness 
in  sparing  his  life,  and,  instead  of  continuing  the  pursuit, 
went  away,  after  he  had  sent  one  of  his  soldiers  to  get  his 
spear  and  cup,  as  David  bade  him. 

David  and  Saul  never  saw  each  other  again,  after  this 
strange  conversation  from  one  hilltop  to  another;  for,  fear- 
ing that  the  king  would  again  forget  his  solemn  promise, 
David  went  away  with  all  his  followers  to   take   refuge 


133 

among  his  old  enemies,  the  Philistines.  They  were  so 
glad  to  get  the  help  of  so  good  a  warrior  that  they 
gave  him  a  city  to  live  in.  David  dwelt  here  for  about 
one  year,  fighting  with  great  success  against  the  Amalek- 
ites  and  other  tribes,  and  bringing  back  much  spoil. 

The  King  of  the  Philistines  was  so  pleased  with  his 
share  of  the  booty  that  he  treated  David  as  a  friend,  and 
told  him  all  his  secrets.  One  day  he  even  made  known  to 
him  a  plan  which  he  had  made  to  attack  the  Israelites, 
and  asked  him  to  join  the  army.  David  did  not  dare  t^ 
refuse,  but  when  the  other  Philistines  heard  what  the 
king  had  done,  they  would  not  let  David  fight  with  them, 
and  had  him  sent  back  to  his  town. 


>J^c 


XXXIX.     DAVID    MADE   KING. 

SAUL,  in  the  mean  while,  had  heard  that  the  Philistines 
were  coming,  and  he  was  very  anxious  to  know  how 
the  war  would  end.  As  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  had  left 
him,  and  he  could  not  find  out  what  would  happen  in  any 
other  way,  he  now  made  up  his  mind  to  do  as  many 
people  did  then,  and  consult  a  witch. 

Saul  had  often  rebuked  the  Israelites  for  doing  this,  and 
as  they  did  not  heed  him  he  had  killed  nearly  all  the 
witches  in  his  land  some  time  before.  Only  one  had 
escaped  him,  and  she  now  dwelt  at  En'dor,  where  Saul 
went  in  disguise  to  ask  her  advice. 

The  witch  soon  recognized  the  king,  although  he  came 
without   his  usual   train  of   followers ;   but,   after  making 


134 

him  promise  that  he  would  not  harm  her  in  any  way,  she 
consented  to  use  her  magic  arts  in  his  presence.  By 
spells  and  incantations  she  then  called  up  the  spirit  of  the 
prophet  Samuel,  whom  Saul  said  he  wished  to  see. 

Saul  questioned  the  spirit  when  it  rose  up  before  him, 
and  learned  not  only  that  his  army  would  meet  with  a 
terrible  defeat,  but  that  he  and  his  sons  would  perish  on 
that  same  fatal  day. 

In  a  gloomy  frame  of  mind  he  left  the  witch  of  En- 
tdor,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  Philistines.  As  Sam- 
uel's  wraith  had  foretold,  the  Israelites  were  beaten,  and 
Saul's  sons  were  killed.  Then  the  king  and  his  armor- 
bearer,  unwilling  to  survive  and  become  the  prisoners  of 
their  foes,  fell  upon  their  swords  and  died  also. 

David,  coming  back  to  his  town  among  the  Philistines 
after  a  short  absence,  now  found  that  the  Amalekites  had 
taken  and  burned  it,  and  had  carried  off  his  two  wives, 
Abigail  and  A-hin'o-am.  After  consulting  the  high  priest 
Abiathar,  and  getting  his  leave  to  fight,  David  pursued 
and  defeated  the  Amalekites,  and  gave  their  spoil  to  his 
own  followers.  As  he  came  back  to  his  own  town,  he  was 
met  by  a  messenger,  an  eyewitness  of  the  terrible  battle 
between  the  Philistines  and  the  Israelites. 

This  man  told  David  about  the  defeat  of  the  Israelites 
and  the  death  of  the  king  and  his  sons.  Then,  hoping  to 
win  David's  favor,  he  added  that  it  was  he  that  had  killed 
Saul  with  his  own  hand.  This  untruth  received  a  speedy 
punishment ;  for  David,  believing  it,  bade  one  of  his 
soldiers  cut  off  the  man's  head. 

The  death  of  all  the  royal  family  was  a  great  blow  to 
David,  but  he  mourned  especially  for  his  friend  Jonathan. 


135 

Several  of  his  psalms,  which  bear  the  impress  of  his  grief, 
are  supposed  to  have  been  composed  at  this  time,  and  to 
be  a  sort  of  funeral  lament  for  the  royal  race. 

The  whole  country  was  in  a  terrible  condition  at  this 
time.  Although  Ab'ner,  general-in-chief  of  the  Israelite 
army,  had  proclaimed  Ish-bo'sheth,  the  youngest  son  of 
Saul,  as  king,  the  Philistines  had  taken  possession  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  country. 

For  two  years  Ishbosheth  made  a  feeble  attempt  to 
reign ;  but  Abner  saw  that  David's  party  daily  became 
more  powerful,  so  he  finally  proposed  to  make  peace  with 
him  and  join  him.  David  accepted  these  proposals,  and 
promised  to  receive  Abner  kindly,  provided  that  his  wife 
Michal  was  given  back  to  him. 

All  would  have  gone  well,  and  the  two  parties  would 
have  been  good  friends,  had  not  Jo'ab,  David's  captain, 
slain  Abner  soon  after  he  left  his  master's  presence.  This 
act  of  treachery  so  angered  David  that  he  cursed  Joab 
and  all  his  family,  and  mourned  publicly  for  the  murdered 
Abner. 

When  the  rest  of  the  people  saw  how  just  David  was, 
they  all  said  that  they  were  in  favor  of  him.  Two  captains 
then  slew  Ishbosheth  and  carried  his  head  to  David,  from 
whom  they  expected  a  reward.  But  David,  who  despised 
all  treachery,  put  them  both  to  death. 

Although  some  members  of  Saul's  family  were  left, 
David  was  now  called  sole  king ;  and  he  reigned  at 
Hebron  seven  and  a  half  years  before  he  moved  to  Jeru- 
salem. In  this  new  capital,  "  David  went  on,  and  grew 
great,  for  the  Lord  God  of  hosts  was  with  him."  It  was 
here,  too,  that  Hi'ram,  King  of  Tyre,  sent  to  ask  his  alii- 


136 

ance,  promising  him  in  exchange  cedar  wood  from  Mount 
Lebanon  for  the  building  of  a  new  palace  at  Jerusalem. 

This  palace  was  very  grand  and  spacious ;  for  David, 
not  content  with  Michal,  Abigail,  and  Ahinoam,  had  many 
other  wives,  and  was  the  father  of  many  children,  who  all 
dwelt  under  his  own  roof. 


>>H< 


XL.     THE   ARK    BROUGHT   TO   JERUSALEM. 

DAVID  was  soon  obliged  to  leave  his  new  capital,  to  go 
forth  and  fight  his  old  foes,  the  Philistines.  When 
he  had  conquered  these  enemies,  he  felt  that  it  was  time 
to  bring  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  to  Jerusalem,  and  to  build 
a  temple  where  it  might  take  up  its  abode  for  good.  With 
an  escort  of  thirty  thousand  men,  he  therefore  set  out. 
The  Ark  was  placed  on  a  new  cart,  driven  by  the  sons  of 
the  high  priest,  and  the  procession  slowly  wended  its  way 
towards  Jerusalem. 

God  had  commanded  that  no  one  should  venture  to  touch 
the  Ark  while  on  its  way,  but  one  of  the  high  priest's  sons 
stretched  out  his  hand  to  steady  it  when  the  cart  tipped. 
No  sooner  had  he  touched  it  than  he  fell  down  dead. 

Awed  by  this  accident,  the  king  ordered  the  journey 
stopped,  and  the  Ark  was  placed  for  safe  keeping  in  a 
house  near  by,  where  it  remained  three  months.  Then, 
seeing  that  it  brought  great  blessings  to  the  place  where 
it  was  kept,  the  people  again  became  anxious  to  have  it 
in  Jerusalem ;  and  as  soon  as  the  new  tent,  or  taberna- 
cle, was  finished,  they  sent  the  Levites  to  bring  it  thither. 


137 

To  show  his  respect  for  the  God  of  Israel,  David  went 
ahead  of  the  Ark  on  foot,  in  the  simple  garb  of  a  minstrel ; 
and,  dancing  and  playing  upon  his  harp,  he  led  the  way 
to  Mount  Zi'on,  where  the  Ark  was  to  remain. 

In  his  joy  at  the  recovery  of  this  precious  Ark,  David 
also  gave  alms  to  all  the  poor,  and  he  offered  up  costly 
sacrifices.  His  joy  was  marred,  however,  when  Michal,  his 
wife,  taunted  him  for  dancing  and  singing  before  his  peo- 
ple. David  finally  grew  so  angry  with  her  that  he  sent 
her  away  from  him  forever. 

Although  David  had  thus  safely  brought  the  sacred 
Ark  to  Jerusalem,  and  had  placed  it  in  the  new  tabernacle, 
he  did  not  consider  a  tent  a  sufficiently  handsome  abode, 
and  wished  to  build  a  fine  temple  for  it. 

But  when  he  consulted  the  prophet  Na'than,  he  learned 
that  the  honor  of  building  this  temple  was  reserved  for 
one  of  his  sons.  He  also  received  a  renewal  of  the  old 
promise  of  the  birth  of  the  Messiah.  This  promise  gave 
him  great  pleasure,  and  was  the  probable  source  of  the 
joyful  psalms  which  are  known  as  the  Mes-si-an'ic  psalms. 

As  David  did  not  dare  to  undertake  the  building  of  the 
temple  after  Nathan's  words,  he  made  use  of  his  time  in 
completing  the  defeat  of  the  Philistines.  Then,  too,  he 
punished  the  Moabites  for  the  treacherous  murder  of  his 
parents,  whom  he  had  left  in  their  care. 

David  also  made  war  against  the  Edomites,  one  of 
whose  young  princes  fled  to  Egypt.  There  he  grew  up 
and  plotted  revenge,  coming  back  to  Palestine  with  a 
mighty  army  in  the  days  of  the  next  king,  Sol'o-mon. 

By  all  these  victories,  which  are  celebrated  in  some  of  the 
psalms,  David  little  by  little  enlarged  his  kingdom,  till  it 


Painting  by  Georges  Becker. 

Rizpah  protecting  the  Bodies  of  her  Sons. 
(138) 


139 


reached  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the  Red  Sea.  All  the 
Promised  Land  now  belonged  to  the  Chosen  People  ;  but 
their  hold  on  it  was  rather  uncertain,  because  they  had 
not  always  been  faithful  to  the  Lord. 

David  was  now  so  firmly  placed  upon  the  throne  that 
he  no  longer  feared  the  family  of  Saul.  He  even  received 
Saul's  last  descendants  in  his  palace,  where  he  made  them 
welcome  and  treated  them  like  his  own  sons. 

But  the  consequences  of  Saul's  sins  were  not  yet  ended. 
Because  he  had  murdered  the  Gibeonites,  a  great  famine 
came  over  the  land  a  few  years  later,  and  lasted  three 
years,  causing  much  suffering.  David,  hoping  to  end  this 
famine,  finally  offered  to  give  the  Gibeonites  satisfaction, 
and  in  answer  to  their  demands  he  gave  up  into  their 
hands  seven  of  the  former  king's  family.  The  Gibeonites, 
like  most  people  of  the  time,  believed  in  revenge ;  so  they 
hung  these  seven  men  on  the  hill  of  Gibeon,  and  decreed 
that  their  corpses  should  swing  there  for  several  months. 

Riz'pah,  the  distracted  mother  of  two  of  the  dead, 
wished  to  protect  their  bodies  from  the  beaks  and  claws  of 
the  vultures  and  other  birds  of  prey,  so  she  took  up  her 
position  at  the  foot   of   the   gallows.     There    she  wildly 

drive  away  the  birds  by  day  and 
beasts  by  night,  until  David, 
by  her  devotion,  had  the  bod- 
ies taken  down  and  buried. 


strove  to 
the  wild 
touched  __ 


140 


XLI.     THE   REPENTANCE   OF    DAVID. 

ALTHOUGH  the  wars  with  the  enemies  of  Israel  were 
not  yet  entirely  ended,  David  left  the  army  to  the 
care  of  Joab,  and  came  back  to  his  capital,  Jerusalem.  It 
was  while  looking  out  of  his  palace  window  one  day,  that 
he  saw  a  beautiful  woman  at  her  toilet,  and  fell  deeply  in 
love  with  her. 

He  now  asked  who  she  was,  and  soon  found  out  that 
her  name  was  Bath-she'ba,  and  that  she  was  the  wife  of 
U-ri'ah,  one  of  his  soldiers.  As  David  wanted  to  have 
this  beautiful  woman  for  his  own  wife,  he  began  to  plot 
how  he  could  get  rid  of  her  husband,  Uriah ;  for  he  knew 
very  well  that  he  could  marry  her  only  after  she  was  a 
widow. 

After  much  thought,  David  decided  on  a  plan.  He  sent 
word  to  the  captain  of  his  army  to  place  Uriah  in  such  an 
exposed  spot,  when  the  next  battle  took  place,  that  he 
would  surely  be  killed.  The  captain  obeyed,  Uriah  fell, 
and  David  soon  married  Bathsheba,  the  widow,  whom  he 
had  thus  won  by  the  greatest  crime  of  his  life. 

Of  course  so  wicked  a  deed  as  this  greatly  displeased 
the  Lord,  and  he  sent  Nathan,  one  of  his  prophets,  to  re- 
prove the  king.  Nathan  came  before  David,  and,  to  make 
sure  that. he  would  listen,  began  to  tell  this  parable: 

There  was  once  upon  a  time  a  poor  man,  who  had  only 
one  ewe  lamb.  He  fed  this  little  creature  out  of  his  hand, 
and  cared  for  it  very  tenderly  both  night  and  day.  Near 
this  poor  man  there  dwelt  a  rich  farmer,  who  had  great 
flocks,  and  more  lambs  than  he  could  count. 


141 

One  day  a  stranger  came  to  visit  the  rich  man,  and  the 
latter  gave  orders  that  a  feast  should  be  made  ready  for 
his  guest.  As  there  was  no  meat  in  the  house,  he  bade 
his  servant  go  catch  the  poor  man's  pet  lamb  and  kill 
it,  so  that  they  might  have  enough  to  eat. 

David  listened  attentively  to  this  story,  and  was  very 
angry  when  he  heard  that  the  rich  man,  instead  of  killing 
one  of  his  own  lambs,  had  taken  the  poor  man's  pet.  He 
said  that  such  a  thing  was  mean,  unjust,  and  cruel,  and 
vowed  that  the  rich  man  should  be  severely  punished. 

But  when  he  sternly  asked  Nathan :  "  Who  is  the 
man  ?  "  he  was  astonished  and  ashamed  to  hear  the  an- 
swer :  "  Thou  art  the  man."  The  prophet  then  went  on  to 
explain  that,  while  the  king's  heart  had  been  filled  with 
pity  for  the  poor  man  who  had  lost  a  pet  lamb,  he  had 
felt  no  such  feelings  for  Uriah,  whom  he  had  killed,  and 
whose  wife  he  had  married. 

David  now  understood  how  deeply  he  had  sinned,  and  he 
repented  greatly.  He  prayed  to  God  to  forgive  him,  and, 
as  he  was  a  poet,  he  composed  a  number  of  psalms,  or 
hymns,  which  he  used  to  sing,  accompanying  himself  on 
his  harp.  In  these  poems  he  expressed  his  sorrow  and 
deep  repentance ;  hence  they  are  called  the  "  penitential 
psalms." 

But  in  spite  of  his  repentance  David  could  not  escape 
all  punishment,  and  the  first  child  which  Bathsheba  bore 
him  fell  very  sick.  The  king  loved  this  child  dearly ;  so 
he  fasted  and  prayed,  and  was  so  anxious  that  when  it 
breathed  its  last  the  courtiers  did  not  at  first  dare  tell  him 
that  it  was  dead. 

But  when  David  heard  that  the  child  had  ceased  to  live 


142 

and  suffer,  he  became  very  calm,  and  left  off  weeping  and 
fasting.  His  courtiers,  who  had  expected  a  great  out- 
burst of  grief,  were  amazed  at  his  calmness.  Finally  they 
ventured  to  ask  him  how  he  could  be  so  composed,  now 
that  the  child  was  dead,  when  the  mere  knowledge  of  its 
danger  had  made  him  spend  all  his  time  in  fasting  and 
prayer. 

David  then  sadly  told  them  that  as  long  as  the  little  one 
lived,  he  had  hoped  by  prayers  and  tears  to  make  God 
forgive  his  sin,  and  leave  him  the  child.  But  when  he 
heard  that  it  was  dead,  he  knew  that  tears  were  useless, 
and  added  softly:  "I  shall  go  to  him,  but  he  shall  not 
return  to  me." 

XLII.     ABSALOM    IN    DISGRACE. 

BATHSHEBA  and  David  were  slightly  comforted  for 
the  loss  of  their  first  child  by  the  birth  of  another 
son,  whom  they  called  Solomon,  which  means  "  peace." 
They  gave  him  this  name  because  the  wars  were  just 
ended,  and  a  peace  had  begun  which  David  hoped  would 
last  a  very  long  while. 

He  was  mistaken,  however.  The  peace  did  not  last; 
for  God  wished  to  punish  David  for  his  sins,  and  especially 
for  having  caused  the  death  of  Uriah ;  so  he  stirred  up 
great  troubles  for  the  king.  Even  David's  many  children 
now  quarreled  together,  and  one  of  them,  Am'non,  insulted 
Ta'mar,  his  half-sister. 

This  young  prince  was  not  bad  by  nature,  but,  un- 
fortunately,  he  liked  to  associate  with  bad  companions. 


143 

They  soon  taught  him  to  be  as  wicked  and  mean  as  them- 
selves, and  after  he  had  wronged  his  stepsister,  they 
encouraged  him  to  turn  her  out  of  the  house  and  into  the 
street. 

Tamar  was  weeping  bitterly  when  her  brother  Ab'sa- 
lom  found  her,  and  when  he  heard  how  shamefully  she 
had  been  treated,  he  took  her  into  his  own  house,  and 
vowed  that  he  would  avenge  her. 

Although  Absalom  was  now  always  seeking  for  a  chance 
to  punish  Amnon,  he  had  to  wait  a  very  long  while  before 
he  could  do  so.  At  the  end  of  two  years,  however,  he 
made  a  great  feast,  to  which  he  invited  all  the  king's  sons. 

Amnon  came  with  the  other  guests,  and  sat  with  them 
at  meat,  little  thinking  that  his  end  was  so  near.  But  in 
the  middle  of  the  feast,  Absalom's  servants  suddenly  fell 
upon  him  and  killed  him,  before  he  could  make  an 
attempt  to  defend  himself.  The  other  princes,  seeing 
Amnon  fall,  rushed  out  of  the  room,  and,  mounting  their 
mules,  rode  quickly  away,  lest  the  same  fate  should  over- 
take them. 

Absalom  had  at  last  avenged  his  sister  Tamar,  but,  fear- 
ing David's  displeasure,  he  did  not  dare  return  to  court ;  so 
he  went  to  live  elsewhere  during  the  next  three  years. 
The  king,  who  had  always  treated  Absalom  as  a  favorite, 
secretly  longed  to  see  him,  but  did  not  like  to  recall  him, 
because  he  had  done  wrong  and  because  there  was  danger 
that  the  people  might  injure  him.  Joab,  the  general  of 
the  army,  felt  sure  that  David  was  very  anxious  to  for- 
give his  son,  yet  hardly  knew  how  to  do  so,  and  at  last 
he  sent  an  old  woman  to  see  the  king  and  tell  him  this 
story : 


144 

"  I  am  a  poor  woman,  a  widow,  and  I  had  two  sons. 
They  were  a  great  comfort  to  me  ;  but,  unfortunately,  while 
working  out  in  the  fields  one  day,  they  began  to  quarrel 
and  soon  came  to  blows.  As  no  one  was  there  to  stop 
them,  they  fought  until  one  was  killed  by  accident. 

"  All  my  relatives  are  so  angry  at  the  only  son  I  now 
have  left,  that  they  wish  to  kill  him  to  avenge  his  brother ; 
and  thus  they  would  leave  me  all  alone  in  the  world." 

The  king,  touched  by  the  poor  woman's  sorrow,  bade 
her  weep  no  more.  He  promised  that  her  son  should  be 
allowed  to  come  home,  and  that  no  one  would  dare  to  do 
him  any  harm. 

Then  the  woman  confessed  to  the  king  that  the  story 
she  had  told  him  was  not  true,  and  also  that  she  had 
spoken  by  Joab's  order.  But  she  had  made  the  king 
understand  that,  provided  he  were  willing  to  forgive  his 
son  Absalom,  no  one  would  dare  to  oppose  him. 

David  now  saw  that  the  wisest  plan  would  be  to  send 
for  Absalom,  who,  therefore,  came  back  to  Jerusalem  to 
live.  But  although  Absalom  had  thus  been  recalled  by 
his  father,  David  refused  to  see  him,  and  the  young  man 
began  to  make  many  friends  among  the  people  who  did 
not  like  the  king. 

One. of  these  men,  the  king's  own  counselor,  secretly 
advised  Absalom  to  try  to  become  king  in  his  father's 
stead,  and  encouraged  the  prince  to  form  a  plot  which 
resulted  in  forcing  David  to  flee  from  Jerusalem  in  great 
haste. 

David  fled  from  his  capital,  followed  by  a  small  band 
of  devoted  men,  and  the  Levites  came  after  him  with  the 
Ark  of  God.     But   David  soon  bade  the  priests  carry  it 


145 

back  into  the  city,  saying  that,  if  the  Lord  wished,  he 
would  yet  be  brought  back  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  would 
again  see  the  Ark. 

As  David  passed  along,  weeping,  he  was  soon  over- 
taken by  another  faithful  servant,  Hu'shai.  In  obedience 
to  the  king's  orders,  this  man  went  back  to  Jerusalem, 
and  pretended  to  join  Absalom,  only  in  order  to  discover 
and  defeat  all  the  prince's  plans. 

A  little  further  on,  the  king  was  met  by  Shim'e-i,  a 
member  of  Saul's  house,  who  stoned  and  insulted  him. 
David  bore  this  harsh  treatment  with  humility,  and 
would  not  allow  his  servant  to  punish  Shimei.  He  sadly 
said  that  it  was  the  just  punishment  of  his  many  sins. 

While  David  was  thus  fleeing,  Absalom  triumphantly 
entered  Jerusalem,  where  he  graciously  accepted  the  ser- 
vices of  Hushai,  and  settled  himself  comfortably  in  his 
father's  palace. 

»oi««>- 

XLIII.     THE  DEATH  OF  ABSALOM. 

AS  Absalom  lingered  in  Jerusalem  to  enjoy  the  pleas- 
ures of  royalty,  David  had  time  to  assemble  an 
army  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan,  and  to  place  it 
under  the  command  of  Joab  and  two  other  generals. 

The  king  then  called  all  three  of  these  men  into  his 
presence,  and,  after  giving  them  his  general  orders,  he 
added :  "  Deal  gently  for  my  sake  with  the  young  man, 
even  with  Absalom."  Thus,  you  see,  he  still  loved  his 
rebellious  son  dearly,  and  was  very  anxious  that  Absa- 
lom should  meet  with  no  harm. 

STO.  OF  CHO.  PEOP. —  IO 


146 

The  armies  started  out,  and  met  Absalom  in  a  great 
forest,  where  his  host  was  defeated.  The  prince,  seeing 
that  the  battle  was  lost,  then  fled  in  haste  through  the 
forest,  until  the  mule  which  he  rode  carried  him  under  the 
spreading  branches  of  an  oak  tree. 

Absalom's  long,  fluttering  hair  caught  in  the  branches  of 
this  tree,  and  he  hung  there  while  his  mule  dashed  on. 
The  pursuers,  headed  by  Joab,  soon  found  Absalom,  and, 
forgetful  of  the  king's  charge,  they  killed  him. 

The  news  of  the  victory  soon  came  to  David,  but  all  his 
joy  was  changed  to  grief  when  he  heard  that  Absalom,  his 
favorite  son,  was  dead.  The  aged  king  "  went  up  to  the 
chamber  over  the  gate,  and  wept ;  and  as  he  wept,  thus 
he  said :  '  O  my  son  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  Absalom  !• 
Would  God  I  had  died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my 
son ! ' " 

The  poor  father  continued  mourning  thus,  until  his 
captain  Joab  bade  him  rouse  himself,  and  make  an  effort 
to  win  back  his  kingdom,  unless  he  wished  to  lose  the 
people's  affection  forever. 

David,  understanding  the  importance  of  this  advice, 
then  set  aside  his  private  sorrows,  made  a  treaty  with  the 
rebels,  and  went  back  to  Jerusalem  in  triumph.  There 
Shimei  was  one  of  the  first  to  come  and  ask  his  pardon 
for  the  stones  and  insults  which  he  had  hurled  against  him 
when  he  left  Jerusalem  in  sorrow. 

The  joy  of  the  king's  return  to  his  capital  was  soon 
marred  by  a  quarrel  between  the  tribes  of  Benjamin  and 
Judah,  and  by  the  jealousy  of  Joab  and  Am'a-sa.  This 
Amasa  had  just  been  appointed  captain  of  the  army,  so  he 
started  out  to  fight  the  Ben'ja-mites. 


147 

Joab,  who  was  unwilling  to  give  up  the  command  of 
the  troops,  now  secretly  followed  Amasa,  and,  after  killing 
him,  headed  the  army  as  usual,  and  pursued  the  Benja- 
mites  to  a  city  far  to  the  north.  There,  seeing  that  they 
would  not  otherwise  be  able  to  escape  from  Joab's  wrath, 
the  people  killed  the  rebel  leader,  and  flung  his  head  over 
the  wall  and  into  the  camp. 

As  we  have  seen,  David  had  already  been  punished  for 
his  sins  by  a  three  years'  famine,  and  an  exile  from  Jeru- 
salem which  lasted  three  months.  He  had  sorely  repented, 
but  he  soon  fell  into  another  sin  as  bad  as  the  rest ;  for  in 
spite  of  God's  command,  he  counted  the  Israelites  so  that 
he  might  glory  in  their  numbers. 

The  punishment  came  almost  as  soon  as  the  census 
was  ended ;  for  a  prophet  of  the  Lord  came  to  David,  bid- 
ding him  choose  among  three  evils  the  one  he  would  rather 
endure,  — seven  years  of  famine,  three  months  of  flight,  or 
three  days  of  pestilence.  Having  tested  the  first  two  pun- 
ishments, and  knowing  full  well  what  sufferings  they  had 
brought  upon  him  and  his  people,  David  chose  the  last,  as 
the  least  evil  of  the  three.  So  the  angel  of  destruction 
passed  over  the  city,  and  in  three  days  no  less  than  seventy 
thousand  people  died  of  the  plague. 

By  the  advice  of  a  prophet,  David  then  built  an  altar 
upon  the  spot  where  the  angel  had  stood,  and  there  he 
offered  up  sacrifices,  day  and  night,  until  the  plague  had 
ceased.  It  was  upon  this  spot  that  the  temple  was  built 
during  the  next  reign,  and  from  this  time  on  David 
amassed  a  large  treasure  for  that  purpose. 

Everybody  knew  that  David  wished  Solomon  to  succeed 
him,  but  not  all  the  people  were  satisfied  with  this  choice. 


148 

A  conspiracy  was  therefore  formed  to  set  another  son  on 
the  throne  in  Solomon's  stead  as  soon  as  David  died. 

The  news  of  this  plot  came  to  the  ears  of  the  prophet 
Nathan,  and  of  Bathsheba,  who  therefore  coaxed  David 
to  have  Solomon  anointed  as  his  successor  during  his 
lifetime.  This  ceremony  took  place  in  public,  and  in  it 
the  priest  used  the  sacred  oil  which  was  kept  in  the  taber- 
nacle for  this  purpose  only. 

Having  reigned  forty  years,  secured  a  fine  capital, 
amassed  wealth  enough  for  the  future  temple,  anointed 
his  successor,  and  given  him  good  advice,  David  now  died 
"  full  of  days,  riches,  and  honor ;  and  Solomon,  his  son, 
reigned  in  his  stead." 

XLIV.     THE  JUDGMENT   OF   SOLOMON. 

UNDER  the  reign  of  Solomon,  the  Jewish  kingdom 
reached  its  highest  point  of  glory  and  power.  The 
new  king  had  inherited  from  his  father  not  only  an  exten- 
sive country,  but  also  very  great  wealth.  He  was,  besides, 
very  clever,  and  had  been  well  educated  by  his  mother, 
Bathsheba,  and  by  the  prophet  Nathan. 

When  only  ten  years  of  age,  Solomon  had  shared  his 
father's  flight,  and  at  fifteen  he  was  anointed  as  his  suc- 
cessor. Solomon  freely  forgave  the  brother  who  tried  to 
secure  the  throne,  but  when  this  same  young  man  again 
tried  to  be  king,  he  had  him  put  to  death. 

In  this  conspiracy  perished  Shimei,  Saul's  last  descend- 
ant, as  well  as  Joab,  David's  principal  captain ;  and  the 
high   priest   Abiathar   was   banished   forever.      Solomon, 


149 

having  thus  secured  the  throne,  now  made  an  alliance  with 
the  King  of  Egypt,  and,  to  strengthen  the  bond  of  friend- 
ship between  them,  he  married  the  Pharaoh's  daughter. 

Shortly  after  his  wedding  Solomon  went  up  to  the 
heights  of  Gibeon,  to  offer  up  a  great  sacrifice.  On  that 
selfsame  night,  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  bidding 
him  choose  any  gift  he  wished,  and  promising  that  it 
should  be  granted  to  him. 

Solomon  was  still  very  young,  and  he  realized  that  he 
would  need  much  knowledge  to  govern  his  people ;  so  he 
now  asked  for  wisdom  in  preference  to  happiness  or 
wealth.  This  wish  was  granted,  and  because  he  had 
thought  more  of  his  people's  good  than  of  his  own,  God 
also  promised  him  long  life,  riches,  and  power. 

The  Great  King,  for  such  is  the  name  Solomon  bears  in 
Jewish  history,  soon  had  occasion  to  make  use  of  the  wis- 
dom that  he  had  obtained.  Two  women  appeared  in  his 
judgment  hall,  clamoring  for  justices  and  bringing  with 
them  one  living  and  one  dead  child. 

Solomon,  with  his  usual  regard  for  justice,  heard  both 
sides  of  the  story ;  but  as  both  women  denied  the  dead 
child,  and  claimed  the  living,  the  people  present  were 
greatly  perplexed.  The  king,  however,  seemed  to  feel  no 
doubts.  As  both  women  laid  equal  claim  to  the  living 
child,  he  said  that  it  should  at  once  be  cut  in  two  and  one 
half  given  to  each  mother. 

The  guards,  in  obedience  to  this  order,  seized  the  child, 
and  were  about  to  divide  it,  when  the  real  mother  fell  at 
Solomon's  feet,  begging  him  not  to  injure  her  child,  and 
offering  to  give  up  all  right  to  it,  provided  it  might  live. 

The  other  woman,  however,  stood  by  unmoved,  saying 


The  Judgment  of  Solomon 


i5i 

that  the  judgment  was  just.  By  her  indifference  to  the 
fate  of  the  living  child,  she  showed  that  the  dead  one 
was  hers.  Solomon,  having  thus  found  out  the  truth,  then 
bade  the  guards  pause.  He  gave  back  the  child  to  the 
real  mother,  and  received  much  applause  for  the  way  in 
which  he  had  settled  this  difficult  case. 

To  extend  the  kingdom  which  had  been  left  him  by 
his  father,  Solomon  made  alliances  with  the  Kings  of  Syria 
and  Phce-ni'cia,  and  greatly  increased  his  riches  by  trad- 
ing. In  his  reign  large  caravans  set  out  in  all  directions, 
and  came  back  from  distant  climes  laden  with  precious 
things. 

A  large  fleet  of  trading  vessels  also  sailed  out  of  Jop'pa, 
to  bring  gold  from  O'phir,  ebony,  ivory,  spices,  precious 
stones,  silken  and  fine  woolen  materials,  and  almost  every 
other  thing  you  can  think  of.  Many  of  these  wares  were 
sold,  but  the  choicest  among  them  were  kept  for  the  build- 
ing or  adornment  of  the  great  temple,  which  Solomon 
wished  to  erect  on  Mount  Mo-ri'ah,  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  angel  of  pestilence  had  stood  when  David 
was  given  the  choice  between  a  seven  years'  famine,  a 
three  months'  flight,  or  a  three  days'  plague. 


>xk< 


XLV.     THE   BUILDING   OF   THE   TEMPLE. 

SOLOMON,  as  we  have  seen,  was  very  anxious  to  se- 
cure the  most  precious  materials  for  the  building 
of  the  temple.  He  therefore  made  an  agreement  with 
Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  who  promised  to  furnish  him  huge 


152 

timbers  from  the  big  cedar  trees  which  grew  on  Mount 
Lebanon. 

These  logs  were  cut  and  made  ready  for  their  future 
purpose  on  the  spot  where  they  grew,  and  were  then 
carried  to  Jerusalem.  The  stonecutters,  in  the  mean 
while,  had  got  huge  blocks  of  stone  ready  for  the  walls 
and  foundations;  and  workers  in  iron,  brass,  silver,  and 
gold  were  busy  day  after  day,  preparing  all  that  was 
necessary  for  the  adornment  of  the  costliest  edifice  that 
has  ever  been  seen. 

We  are  told  that  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  men  were  employed  in  this  work,  and  the  prep- 
aration of  the  material  was  so  complete  that  no  sound  of 
ax  or  hammer  was  heard  about  the  building,  during  the 
whole  seven  and  a  half  years  needed  to  finish  it. 

Solomon,  with  Hiram  his  architect,  watched  this  great 
edifice  slowly  rise.  It  was  completed  one  thousand  and 
five  years  before  Christ,  and  probably  cost  more  than  five 
billion  dollars. 

The  temple  which  Solomon  thus  built  had  a  porch 
supported  by  Hiram's  masterpieces,  —  two  great  brazen 
pillars.  Then  came  the  Holy  Place,  where  stood  the 
altars  for  incense,  -the  table  for  the  shewbread,  and  the 
seven  branched  golden  candlestick;  and  in  the  courts 
were  the  altar  of  burnt  offering,  and  a  great  brazen  laver 
which  was  called  the  Sea  of  Brass.  A  third  inclosure, 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  glittered  with  gold  and  precious 
stones,  and  within  it  stood  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant. 

The  grandest  religious  ceremony  described  in  the  Old 
Testament  is  the  dedication  of  this  new  temple,  which  took 
place  at  the  time  of   the    Feast  of   Tabernacles,   one  of 


153 

the  greatest  Jewish  festivals.  People  came  to  Jerusalem 
from  all  directions  to  see  it,  and  although  the  Promised 
Land  was  a  small  country,  no  less  than  five  million  per- 
sons were  present  at  this  great  ceremony,  where  God  sent 
down  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  the  sacrifice. 

Not  content  with  the  building  of  this  temple,  Solomon 
also  constructed  a  palace  large  enough  to  shelter  him,  his 
court,  and  his  seven  hundred  wives  and  attendants.  The 
architect  Hiram  finished  it  in  thirteen  years,  and  hung  it 
around  with  golden  shields  which  were  used  for  the  king's 
bodyguard. 

Within  this  palace  was  the  great  cedar-wood  Judgment 
Hall,  where  Solomon  sat  on  a  marvelous  throne  of  gold 
and  ivory.  It  was  here  that  he  received  the  Queen  of 
She'ba,  who  came  from  afar  to  visit  him,  and  to  find  out 
whether  all  the  tales  she  had  heard  of  his  wealth,  power, 
and  wisdom  were  quite  true. 

The  Queen  of  Sheba  brought  Solomon  princely  gifts, 
and  soon  made  sure  that  none  of  the  stories  about  his 
wealth  and  power  were  exaggerations.  Then  she  satisfied 
herself  about  his  wisdom  by  asking  him  some  problems 
and  riddles,  which  he  solved  with  the  greatest  ease. 

To  please  his  Egyptian  wife,  Solomon  built  a  second 
palace,  in  the  mountains,  where  he  and  his  court  spent 
the  warm  summer  months.  But  even  his  royal  income 
of  thirty  million  dollars  was  not  enough  to  keep  up  all 
this  magnificence,  and  to  obtain  more  money  Solomon 
soon  had  recourse  to  taxes,  which  caused  the  people  much 
suffering,  and  which  in  time  made  them  hate  him. 

As  the  Israelites  could  not  raise  money  enough  to  sup- 
ply their  needs  and  pay  these  heavy  taxes,  they  little  by 


154 

little  neglected  their  farming  and  cattle  raising,  and  began 
to  engage  in  trade  to  get  larger  profits. 

Thus  they  soon  came  into  close  contact  with  many  men 
of  different  nations,  and  they  learned  from  them  to  wor- 
ship idols,  such  as  were  seen  in  the  Syrian  and  Phoenician 
temples.  Little  by  little,  they  thus  forgot  the  Lord  their 
God,  who  had  released  them  from  slavery  in  Egypt,  had 
given  them  the  Promised  Land,  and  had  blessed  them 
with  all  the  prosperity  which  they  now  enjoyed. 


3XKC 


XLVI.     THE    DEATH    OF    SOLOMON. 

WHEN  Solomon  had  finished  all  his  great  works,  God 
renewed  to  him  the  promises  which  had  been  made 
to  David.  He  also  warned  the  king  that  while  obedience 
would  be  rewarded  with  great  blessings,  disobedience  would 
bring  about  the  ruin  of  both  king  and  people. 

Hiram,  who  had  finished  the  buildings  which  the  king 
had  planned  with  such  magnificence,  now  went  home,  after 
receiving  his  promised  reward  of  twenty  cities,  which  were 
all  situated  in  the  land  of  Gal'i-lee. 

After  Hiram  had  gone,  Solomon  finished  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem.  Then,  to  please  his  foreign  wives,  he  did 
what  he  knew  was  wrong,  and  set  up  heathen  altars  to 
Ash'to-reth  and  Mo'loch  on  the  Mount  of  Ol'ives,  directly 
opposite  Mount  Moriah,  where  stood  the  new  temple. 
Here  he  not  only  allowed  his  wives  to  offer  up  sacrifices 
to  the  idols,  but  even  helped  them  to  do  so. 

God   had   warned    him   that   such    disobedience  would 


155 

surely  be  punished,  and  as  Solomon  had  worshiped  idols 
he  was  no  longer  allowed  to  enjoy  the  great  prosperity  of 
his  early  reign.  A  prophet  was  therefore  sent  to  Jer-o- 
bo'am,  one  of  Solomon's  rivals,  to  tell  him  that  part  of  the 
kingdom  would  soon  be  given  into  his  hands. 

The  prophet  met  Jeroboam,  snatched  the  new  mantle 
off  his  shoulders,  and  tore  it  into  twelve  pieces.  Then 
thrusting  ten  of  these  into  the  astonished  Jeroboam's  hand, 
he  said  that  God  would  thus  rend  the  kingdom  to  pieces, 
and  would  give  ten  tribes  into  his  keeping.  This  soon 
came  true ;  ten  tribes  joined  Jeroboam,  and  the  tribe  of 
Judah  was  the  only  important  one  which  remained  faith- 
ful to  the  royal  family.  It  was  left  to  the  king  only  for 
the  sake  of  David,  and  so  that  the  Lord's  worship  might 
go  on  in  his  temple  at  Jerusalem. 

When  Solomon  heard  this  prediction,  he  tried  to  bring 
it  to  naught  by  killing  Jeroboam  ;  but  the  intended  victim, 
hearing  that  his  life  was  in  danger,  fled  into  Egypt. 

Solomon  was  haunted  all  the  time  by  the  feeling  that 
his  sins  had  robbed  his  children  of  their  inheritance.  He 
was  also  worried  by  wars  with  two  rivals,  —  Ha'dad,  Prince 
of  E'dom,  and  Re'zon,  founder  of  the  kingdom  of  Da- 
mascus ;  and  thus  he  was  very  unhappy  toward  the  end 
of  his  life. 

Soiomon  was  not  only  one  of  the  greatest  kings  of  the 
world,  but  he  is  also  known  as  a  writer.  He  left  three 
books,  which  form  part  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  the  first,  which  is  called  the  Song  of  Solomon, 
was  written  when  he  was  very  young;  that  the  second, 
Prov'erbs,  was  the  work  of  his  manhood ;  and  that  the 
third  and  last,  Ec-cle-si-as'tes,  was  composed  in  his  old  age, 


1 56 

when  he  had  ceased  to  take  pleasure  in  anything,  and 
could  only  say :  "Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity." 

Having  found  that  wealth  and  wisdom  are  of  no  avail 
to  a  man  who  has  departed  from  the  ways  of  the  Lord, 
Solomon  died,  after  a  reign  of  forty  years.  He  had  spent 
all  the  treasure  which  his  father  had  left  him,  and  had 
laid  such  heavy  taxes  upon  the  people  that  they  were 
poor  and  oppressed.  When  he  died,  he  left  his  son  Re-ho- 
bo'am  to  reap  the  harvest  of  dislike  which  he  had  sown. 

Rehoboam,  called  to  the  throne  by  Solomon's  death, 
went  up  to  Shechem  to  be  proclaimed  king.  There  he 
was  met  by  Jeroboam,  who  had  now  come  back  from 
Egypt,  and  who  came  to  ask  him  to  redress  the  wrongs 
under  which  the  oppressed  people  had  suffered  so  long. 

Instead  of  granting  this  petition,  as  all  the  older  men 
in  his  council  advised  him,  Rehoboam  haughtily  refused 
to  reduce  the  taxes,  and  said  to  the  people :  "  My  father 
made  your  yoke  heavy,  and  I  will  add  to  your  yoke ;  my 
father  also  chastised  you  with  whips,  but  I  will  chastise 
you  with  scorpions." 

The  people,  hearing  these  cruel  words,  understood  that 
they  could  expect  neither  mercy  nor  justice  from  the  new 
king,  and  in  their  anger  they  rose  up  against  him.  His 
tax  collector  was  stoned  to  death,  and  Rehoboam  him- 
self escaped  a  like  fate  only  by  fleeing  in  his  chariot  to 
Jerusalem. 

The  rebels,  left  masters  of  Shechem,  now  went  on  to 
elect  Jeroboam  king  of  Israel,  and  ten  of  the  tribes  prom- 
ised to  obey  him.  Only  the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin 
were  still  faithful  to  the  grandson  of  David. 

To  compel  the  other  ten  tribes  to  obey  him  once  more, 

/ 


157 

Rehoboam  collected  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  men.  He  was  about  to  march  against  Jeroboam, 
when  a  man  of  God  brought  him  a  divine  message,  which 
forbade  his  going  forth  to  war. 

Rehoboam  did  not  dare  disobey  this  order  openly,  and 
for  many  years  there  was  only  a  pretense  of  warfare. 
The  two  kings,  however,  were  all  the  time  busy  in  making 
their  armies  larger,  winning  allies,  and  building  strong 
walls  around  their  towns,  so  that  when  the  right  moment 
came  they  could  wage  war  with  better  chances  of  success. 


>;**< 


XLVII.     THE   TWO    KINGDOMS. 

THE  Chosen  People  were  divided  forever.  While  ten 
tribes  formed  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  and  called  Jero- 
boam their  king,  the  other  two  formed  the  kingdom  of 
Judah,  and  were  faithful  to  Rehoboam. 

The  adherents  of  Rehoboam  of  course  went  on  worship- 
ing in  the  beautiful  new  temple  which  Solomon  had  built; 
but  those  of  Jeroboam  were  not  allowed  to  do  so.  It 
seems  that  this  king  feared  that  his  subjects,  in  going  up 
there  to  sacrifice,  might  again  promise  to  obey  their  royal 
race ;  so  he  forbade  their  worshiping  in  Jerusalem  at  all. 

To  make  up  to  them  for  this,  Jeroboam  set  up  golden 
calves  at  Bethel  and  Dan,  although  God  had  forbidden  it. 
He  bade  the  people  adore  them,  and  he  himself  offered 
up  sacrifices  and  burnt  offerings  to  them.  This  disobedi- 
ence was  soon  and  severely  punished,  as  you  will  see  a 
little  farther  on. 


158 

Although  Rehoboam  had  lost  ten  tribes  at  the  very  out- 
set, the  first  years  of  his  reign  were  quite  happy,  because 
he  tried  to  be  good.  But  later  on  he  ceased  to  lead  a 
good  life,  and  allowed  his  people  to  fall  back  into  idola- 
try ;  and  then  he  was  punished  sorely.  The  King  of 
Egypt,  an  ally  of  Israel,  came  into  the  kingdom  of  Reho- 
boam with  a  large  army,  took  all  the  strongholds  of  Judah, 
and  even  entered  Jerusalem. 

The  enemy  robbed  the  temple  and  the  palace,  and  car- 
ried off  the  golden  shields  which  Hiram  had  made  for  Sol- 
omon's bodyguard,  and  which  were  hung  all  around  the 
king's  dwelling.  Only  a  prompt  and  thorough  repentance 
saved  Rehoboam  and  the  people  from  being  carried  off 
into  captivity  in  Egypt  at  this  time. 

Besides  that,  the  King  of  Judah  was  forced  to  pay  a 
heavy  tribute  to  the  conquerors,  but  he  soon  began  to 
repair  his  losses.  The  golden  shields,  among  other  things, 
were  replaced  by  like  pieces  of  armor  in  brass,  which, 
although  far  less  costly,  shone  quite  as  brightly  as  if  they 
had  been  made  of  the  more  precious  metal. 

Unfortunately,  however,  neither  Rehoboam  nor  his  sub- 
jects were  faithful  for  any  length  of  time,  and  after  a  reign 
of  seventeen  years,  this  king  died  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  A-bi'jah.  The  new  monarch  went  on  waging  a 
petty  warfare  against  the  King  of  Israel.  He  relied  upon 
the  Lord,  put  down  idolatry,  and  tried  to  be  good,  and, 
therefore,  he  was  rewarded  by  a  victory,  and  was  allowed 
to  become  master  of  three  of  Jeroboam's  towns. 

But  the  virtue  of  Abijah  was  not  to  last  long  either.  He 
too  soon  fell  into  evil  ways,  and  followed  the  bad  example 
which  his  father  Rehoboam  had  given  him ;  so  his  reign 


159 

was  cut  short,  and  A'sa,  his  son,  ruled  in  his  stead.  At 
this  time  the  land  was  in  a  very  promising  state,  and  Asa 
soon  became  so  strong  that  the  King  of  Israel  feared  to 
attack  him,  and  left  him  in  peace  for  ten  long  years. 

While  Judah  had  been  governed  by  three  kings,  Reho- 
boam,  Abijah,  and  Asa,  Israel  had  been  under  the  sway 
of  the  same  monarch,  Jeroboam.  This  ruler  had  estab- 
lished his  capital  at  Shechem,  and  had  been  promised  that 
his  kingdom  would  endure  if  he  obeyed  the  law  of  God. 
But  this  he  did  not  do,  for  he  led  his  people  into  idolatry 
by  setting  up  golden  calves  at  Dan  and  Bethel. 

A  prophet  came  to  reprove  Jeroboam,  and  when  the 
king  bade  his  guards  seize  and  put  the  insolent  man  to 
death,  none  of  them  dared  obey  him.  As  the  guards 
would  not  lay  hands  upon  the  prophet,  Jeroboam  himself 
tried  to  do  so ;  but  the  arm  which  he  stretched  out  fell 
helpless  and  withered  to  his  side,  and  an  earthquake  over- 
threw the  heathen  altar  which  he  had  just  built. 

These  wonders  so  frightened  the  king  that  he  now 
begged  the  prophet  to  pray  that  his  hand  might  be  cured. 
Then,  when  this  request  had  been  granted,  and  the  arm 
was  well  again,  Jeroboam  humbly  asked  the  Lord's  mes- 
senger to  come  into  his  house  and  take  food. 

The  prophet  had  been  forbidden  to  eat  or  drink  there, 
so  he  refused  the  invitation,  and  started  for  home.  On 
the  way  thither,  however,  he  was  met  by  a  false  prophet, 
who  told  him  that  an  angel  had  come  to  bid  him  take  food. 
The  true  prophet,  who  was  very  hungry,  now  went  to  the 
false  prophet's  house ;  but  even  while  he  was  eating  and 
drinking  there  he  heard  the  Lord's  voice  rebuking  him  for 
his  disobedience. 


Drawn  by  A.  I.  Keller. 
(160) 


The  Prophet  killed  by  the  Lion. 


i6i 


He  was  soon  punished  for  listening  to  the  false  proph- 
et's lies,  for  on  his  homeward  journey  he  was  attacked  by 
a  lion,  which  sprang  out  of  a  thicket  and  killed  him. 


^c 


XLVIII.     SEVEN    KINGS   OF    ISRAEL. 

IN  spite  of  all  the  warnings  which  he  had  received,  Jero- 
boam went  on  in  his  evil  ways.  Another  punishment, 
therefore,  soon  befell  him ;  for  he  lost  his  favorite  son, 
the  only  good  member  of  his  family,  and  the  one  upon 
whom  rested  his  greatest  hopes. 

Then,  after  a  reign  of  twenty-two  years,  Jeroboam  him- 
self died,  leaving  the  kingdom  of  Israel  to  be  ruled  by 
his  son  Na'dab. 

But  as  this  new  ruler  led  a  bad  life,  he  was  killed  two 
years  later  by  one  of  his  own  captains  during  a  war  with 
the  Philistines. 

To  get  the  crown,  this  captain,  whose  name  was  Ba'a- 
sha,  killed  all  the  other  members  of  the  royal  family. 
Thus,  by  a  wholesale  murder,  he  became  the  third  king 
of  Israel,  and  during  his  reign  of  twenty-four  years,  he  fol- 
lowed all  the  evil  ways  of  the  kings  who  went  before  him. 

He  was  reproved  for  his  sins  and  idolatries  by  a  prophet 
of  the  Lord,  and  was  punished  by  a  war  with  Judah,  and 
one  with  the  King  of  Syria,  who  marched  into  his  king- 
dom and  took  several  of  his  cities. 

Baasha's  son  E'lah  was  murdered  at  the  end  of  two 
years  by  Zim'ri,  the  commander  of  his  chariots,  who  also 
killed  all  the  other  members  of  the   royal   family.     But 

STO.  OF  CHO.  PEOP.  —  II 


l62 


Zimri  himself  died,  a  victim  of  the  hatred  of  his  rival, 
Om'ri,  just  seven  days  after  he  had  come  to  the  throne. 

Omri,  the  sixth  king  of  Israel,  is  especially  noted 
because,  during  his  short  reign  of  twelve  years,  he  built 
the  city  of  Sa-ma'ri-a,  which  became  the  capital  of  his 
kingdom.  When  he  died,  he  left  the  throne  to  his  son 
A'hab,  the  best  known  of  all  the  kings  of  Israel. 

In  the  mean  while,  Asa  had  reigned  quietly  over  Judah, 
and,  as  his  "heart  was  perfect  with  the  Lord  all  his  days," 
he  was  allowed  to  rule  forty-one  years.  During  this  time 
Asa  rebuilt  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  gathered  together 
a  large  and  well-trained  army.  As  soon  as  he  was  all 
ready,  he  proudly  refused  to  pay  tribute  to  the  Egyptians, 
although  they  had  forced  the  people  of  Judah  to  make 
a  yearly  payment  ever  since  they  had  entered  Jerusalem 
during  the  reign  of  Rehoboam. 

The  armies  of  Judah  and  of  Egypt  met  on  the  southern 
border  of  Palestine,  where  Asa,  in  answer  to  his  fervent 
prayer,  was  rewarded  by  a  great  victory  over  his  foes. 
When  he  came  back  to  his  capital  in  triumph,  with  all  the 
spoil  he  had  won,  the  people's  hearts  were  full  of  thanks- 
giving and  joy;  so  God  seized  this  favorable  moment  to 
make  a  solemn  appeal  to  them  through  a  prophet. 

This  holy  man  bade  the  king  and  people  to  be  strong, 
heart  and  hand,  in  seeking  God,  and  told  them  not  to  wor- 
ship idols.  They  were  so  strongly  moved  by  this  speech 
that  they  sent  away  all  the  idols  from  their  land,  and 
purified  their  altars.  Next  they  assembled  in  such  large 
numbers  for  the  worship  of  the  Lord  that  Baasha,  who 
was  then  King  of  Israel,  was  frightened,  and  decided  to 
march  against  them  before  they  could  come  and  attack  him. 


i63 

When  Asa  heard  that  the  King  of  Israel  was  coming  to 
fight  him,  he  quite  forgot  that  he  needed  no  other  helper 
than  God,  and  sought  the  alliance  of  the  King  of  Syria. 
This  he  managed  to  get  by  giving  him  in  exchange  all 
the  temple  treasures.  But  a  prophet  soon  came  to  re- 
prove Asa  for  this  lack  of  faith  in  God's  help.  The 
prophet  told  the  king  that  as  he  had  sought  the  help  of  a 
stranger,  instead  of  trusting  the  Lord,  he  would  have  war 
all  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Asa  was  so  angry  when  he  heard  this  prophecy  that  he 
had  the  prophet  put  into  prison  and  persecuted.  But  he 
could  not  forget  the  words  which  this  unfortunate  man 
had  spoken. 

Then,  too,  the  prophecy  was  soon  fulfilled,  and  Asa's 
last  years  were  made  very  unhappy  by  constant  warfare 
and  much  sickness.  He  died  in  the  forty-first  year  of  his 
reign,  after  having  lived  long  enough  to  see  the  first  seven 
kings  of  Israel. 


3>*C 


XLIX.  THE  GREAT  DROUGHT. 

ASA  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Je-hosh'a-phat,  a  pious 
and  energetic  king,  under  whose  rule  the  little  king- 
dom of  Judah  reached  its  highest  point  of  prosperity. 
The  new  king  began  his  reign  by  pulling  down  many  of 
the  heathen  groves  and  altars,  and  because  he  thus  tried 
to  stop  the  worship  of  idols  he  was  rewarded  with  great 
power. 

In  the  course  of  time,  however,  Jehoshaphat  forgot  that 


i64 

God  had  forbidden  his  Chosen  People  to  make  friends 
among  those  who  worshiped  idols.  Not  only  did  he 
enter  into  an  alliance  with  Ahab,  the  idolatrous  King  of 
Israel,  but  he  even  encouraged  his  son  to  marry  the 
daughter  of  this  ruler. 

Ahab,  the  King  of  Israel  with  whom  the  pious  Jehosh- 
aphat  had  thus  made  an  alliance,  is  known  as  the  greatest, 
but  at  the  same  time  the  most  wicked,  of  all  the  rulers  of 
the  ten  tribes.  He  began  to  reign  in  Samaria  while  Asa 
was  yet  King  of  Judah,  and  from  the  time  of  his  marriage 
he  was  completely  under  the  influence  of  his  wife,  Jez'e-beL 

This  woman  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  cleverest,  but 
most  wicked,  women  that  ever  lived-  She  brought  the 
worship  of  the  heathen  god  Baal  into  her  husband's  king- 
dom, set  up  altars  and  groves  at  Samaria,  and  had  no  less 
than  eight  hundred  and  fifty  heathen  priests  who  were  fed 
at  her  own  table. 

Moreover,  Jezebel  persecuted  the  prophets  of  the  true 
God  with  such  fury  that  they  were  soon  obliged  to  flee 
from  her,  and  take  refuge  in  neighboring  caves,  where 
they  staid  hidden.  Here  they  were  for  a  while  secretly 
fed  by  Ahab's  steward,  who  did  not  dare  to  support  them 
openly,  because  he  was  afraid  of  the  anger  of  his  haughty 
mistress. 

The  Israelites,  during  the  past  sixty  years,  had  little  by 
little  yielded  to  the  worship  of  idols,  and  there  were  now 
only  seven  thousand  men  among  them  who  had  not  bent 
the  knee  to  Jezebel's  favorite  god,  Baal.  The  Lord, 
touched  by  the  suffering  of  these  few  servants  who  had 
thus  been  faithful  to  him,  now  interfered  in  their  behalf. 

To  help  them,  he  sent  E-li'jah,  the  greatest  prophet 


16S 

• 

since  the  time  of  Samuel,  Elijah  was  very  tall  his  tex- 
tures were  rugged  and  stern,  his  long  hair  flowed  over  his 
broad  shoulders,  and  he  wore  a  rough  robe  or  mantle  of 
sheep's  hair. 

Directed  by  God,  this  prophet  suddenly  came  to  the 
king's  court,  where  his  rough  clothes  and  manners  must 
have  made  a  startling  contrast  with  Ahab's  courtiers,  who 
were  dressed  in  costly  silks.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  there, 
he  abruptly  gave  his  message:  "As  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel  liveth,  there  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these  years, 
but  according  to  my  word." 

When  Ahab  heard  these  words,  he  shuddered ;  for,  al- 
though Jezebel  and  her  priests  thought  that  Klijah  was 
nothing  but  a  madman,  Ahab  knew  very  well  that  he  was 
a  prophet  of  the  Lord.  Before  the  astonished  king  could 
collect  himself  enough  to  bid  his  guards  seize  the  prophet 
and  put  him  to  death,  Elijah  had  disappeared,  and  no  one 
could  find  any  trace  of  him. 

The  prophet,  in  leaving  the  palace,  had  merely  obeyed 
God's  orders.  After  warning  Ahab  of  the  coming  drought, 
he  speedily  went  to  a  quiet  valley  far  from  the  houses  of 
men.  In  this  little  valley  flowed  a  tiny  stream,  which 
emptied  its  waters  into  the  river  Jordan.  Here  Elijah 
staid,  quenching  his  thirst  in  the  little  stream,  and  living 
on  the  food  which  the  ravens  brought  to  him. 

He  lived  in  the  valley  until  the  time  of  the  rainy  reason 
came ;  but,  although  the  ground  was  very  dry,  there  were 
no  signs  of  the  usually  abundant  rainfalls.  Little  by  little, 
even  the  stream  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  dried  up,  and 
then  the  prophet,  in  obedience  to  God's  command,  left  this 
lonely  place  and  went  down  into  Phoenicia. 


66 


Elijah  came  at  last  to  a  village  near  the  seashore,  where 
the  famine  brought  about  by  the  drought  was  beginning 
to  make  itself  bitterly  felt.  Here  he  saw  a  poor  widow 
picking  up  a  few  sticks  to  cook,  her  last  food ;  for  she  had 
no  money,  and  her  whole  stock  of  provisions  was  a  hand- 
ful of  meal  and  a  few  drops  of  oil. 

The  prophet,  whose  garments  were  faded,  dusty,  and 
torn,  drew  near  this  woman  and  asked  her  for  a  drink. 
Then,  when  his  thirst  was  slaked,  he  looked  up  at  her 
with  imploring  eyes  and  said :  "  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a 
morsel  of  bread  in  thine  hand." 

Now,  although  this  man  was  a  complete  stranger,  and 
although  he  had  come  and  asked  her  for  what  was  most 
precious  to  her,  the  woman  felt  so  sorry  for  him  that  she 
led  him  into  her  house,  and  generously  shared  with  him 
the  small  amount  of  food  which  was  all  she  had  to  keep 
herself  and  her  son  alive. 

In  reward  for  this  good  deed,  the  widow  was  favored 
by  a  miracle.  During  the  next  three  years,  which  Elijah 
spent  in  her  house,  the  meal  and  oil  never  failed  her,  and 
she  and  her  son  and  her  guest  had  plenty  to  eat. 

Some  time  after,  the  poor  woman's  son  died,  and  then 
the  prophet  further  showed  how  thankful  he  was  for  her 
former  kindness,  by  bringing  the  boy  back  to  life.  This 
is  the  very  first  time  in  the  story  of  the  Bible  that  we  hear 
of  such  a  miracle  as  bringing  the  dead  back  from  the  tomb. 
But,  as  you  will  learn  from  reading  the  Bible,  a  like 
miracle  is  mentioned  several  times  in  the  Old,  as  well  as 
in  the  New,  Testament. 


1 67 


L.     THE   PRIESTS    OF   BAAL. 

IT  was  only  at  the  end  of  the  third  year  of  drought,  that 
God  bade  Elijah  leave  the  widow's  house  and  go  to 
Ahab,  King  of  Israel.  The  prophet  did  not  find  the  king 
at  his  palace,  as  usual ;  for  Ahab  was  traveling  around 
the  country  in  search  of  pasture  for  his  horses,  which 
were  suffering  sorely  from  the  long  drought. 

The  moment  that  Elijah  appeared,  the  king  remembered 
his  former  visit,  and,  thinking  that  the  prophet  was  to 
blame  for  all  the  suffering  of  his  people,  he  angrily  cried : 
"  Art  thou  he  that  troubleth  Israel?" 

But  Elijah  stood  fearlessly  before  the  king,  and  boldly 
answered : 

"  I  have  not  troubled  Israel,  but  thou,  and  thy  father's 
house,  in  that  ye  have  forsaken  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord,  and  thou  hast  followed  Ba'al-im." 

Then,  to  show  the  king  the  power  of  God,  and  to  con- 
vince him  that  the  idols  which  he  worshiped  could  really 
do  nothing  at  all,  Elijah  invited  him  to  bring  all  his  priests 
to  Mount  Car'mel.  There,  he  said,  the  four  hundred  and 
fifty  priests  of  Baal  might  build  an  altar  to  their  god, 
while  he  himself,  the  only  believer  in  the  true  God  who 
still  dared  make  his  faith  known,  would  erect  an  altar  for 
Je-ho'vah  (the  Hebrew  name  for  the  Lord). 

All  the  people  gathered  together  on  the  mountain,  where 
they  knew  that  a  test  of  the  powers  of  God  and  of  Baal 
was  to  be  made.  Then  Elijah  boldly  addressed  the  multi- 
tude, saying  :  "  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions  ?  If 
the  Lord  be  God,  follow  him  ;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him." 


1 68 


Next,  Elijah  went  on  to  say  that  they  would  now  call 
upon  the  true  God  to  make  himself  known  by  sending 
down  fire  from  heaven  to  burn  up  the  sacrifice  laid  upon 
his  altar.  Not  daring  to  refuse  this  test,  the  priests  of 
Baal  built  their  altar,  and  made  use  of  all  their  arts, 
prayers,  incantations,  and  magic,  to  make  Baal  hear  them. 

But  the  hours  passed  on  without  any  sign  of  their 
prayers  being  answered.  The  heathen  priests  became 
more  and  more  excited,  and  danced,  and  screamed  always 
louder.  Elijah,  who  stood  by,  watching  their  antics,  mock- 
ingly spoke  to  them  from  time  to  time,  saying  that  per- 
haps their  god  was  out  hunting,  or  that  he  was  talking, 
sleeping,  or  away  on  a  journey.  He  also  advised  them 
to  make  more  noise,  so  that  their  prayer  might  be  sure 
to  reach  Baal's  ear. 

But  when  all  the  efforts  of  Baal's  priests  were  seen  to 
be  vain,  and  their  strength  was  quite  exhausted,  Elijah 
stepped  quietly  forward  and  built  an  altar  in  his  turn. 
He  dug  a  deep  trench  all  around  it,  and  poured  water 
on  his  fuel  until  it  was  soaked  through,  and  until  the 
ditch  around  it  was  full.  Then  he  placed  his  sacrifice  on 
top  of  the  pile,  as  usual. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  prophet  stood  calmly  near  the 
altar ;  and,  instead  of  the  wild  cries  and  dances  which  the 
priests  of  Baal  had  used,  he  said  this  simple  prayer : 
"  Lord  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  of  Israel,  let  it  be 
known  this  day  that  thou  art  God  in  Israel,  and  that  I 
am  thy  servant,  and  that  I  have  done  all  these  things 
at  thy  word." 

The  prayer  was  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  the 
fire  of  heaven  came  down  upon  the  altar  from  a  cloud- 


169 

less  sky,  burned  up  both  fuel  and  sacrifice,  and  even  dried 
all  the  water  in  the  trench.  When  the  assembled  people 
saw  this  miracle,  they  were  afraid,  fell  down  upon  their 
faces,  and  cried  aloud:    "The  Lord,  he  is  the  God." 

Elijah  now  took  advantage  of  the  people's  admira- 
tion for  the  power  of  the  true  God  to  make  them  seize 
the  priests  of  Baal,  who  were  all  slain  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  uselessness  of  their  prayers  had  been  made 
known. 

LI.     NABOTH'S   VINEYARD. 

BY  the  sacrifice  upon  Mount  Carmel  Elijah  had  pub- 
licly made  known  the  power  and  majesty  of  the  God 
whom  he  served.  When  the  massacre  of  the  priests  of 
Baal  was  ended,  he  turned  to  Ahab,  who  had  watched  all 
these  deeds  in  awestruck  silence,  and  told  him  that  plenty 
of  rain  would  soon  fall. 

This  news  pleased  Ahab  so  much  that  he  went  into  his 
tent  to  hold  a  great  feast,  while  Elijah  climbed  up  the 
mountain,  and  sat  there,  his  head  bowed  down  upon  his 
knees,  in  silent  prayer.  His  servant,  in  the  mean  time,  had 
orders  to  watch  the  sky  closely  so  as  to  tell  him  of  the 
first  signs  of  rain. 

Six  times  the  servant  came  back  to  the  place  where 
Elijah  was  sitting,  and  reported  that  the  sky  was  as  blue 
as  ever ;  but  the  seventh  time,  he  came  back,  saying : 
"  Behold,  there  ariseth  a  little  cloud  out  of  the  sea,  like 
a  man's  hand." 

This  small  sign  of  coming   rain  was  quite  enough  for 


170 

Elijah.  He  now  sent  word  to  the  king  to  prepare  his 
chariot  and  hasten  home.  The  skies  quickly  grew  black 
with  clouds,  and  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  all  over  the 
parched  and  thirsty  land,  as  Ahab  drove  quickly  back  to 
his  home  at  Jez'reel,  accompanied  by  Elijah,  who  ran 
ahead  of  him  every  step  of  the  way. 

Arrived  at  the  palace,  the  story  of  the  day's  happenings 
was  told  to  Jezebel,  Ahab's  wife,  who  flew  into  a  terrible 
rage  when  she  heard  that  Baal's  priests  had  all  been 
slain.  She  threatened  Elijah,  saying :  "  So  let  the  gods 
do  to  me,  and  more  also,  if  I  make  not  thy  life  as  the  life 
of  one  of  them  by  to-morrow  about  this  time." 

Thus  warned  that  he  was  in  great  danger,  Elijah  man- 
aged to  escape,  followed  only  by  his  young  servant. 
They  fled  without  stopping  until  they  had  crossed  the 
kingdom  of  Judah  and  reached  the  furthest  southern 
boundary  of  Palestine. 

Then,  leaving  his  servant  there,  Elijah  went  on  alone 
into  the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  where  he  sank  to  the  ground, 
fainting  and  ready  to  die.  But  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
came  to  him  here  and  touched  him  on  the  shoulder. 
The  prophet  then  looked  up  and  saw  a  fire,  with  a  cake 
of  bread  baked  upon  it,  and  near  it  stood  a  jar  of  water. 

This  food  gave  Elijah  strength  enough  to  spend  forty 
days  and  forty  nights  in  the  wilderness  of  Sinai.  Here 
he  talked  with  God,  whom  he  was  very  curious  to  see. 
After  finding  out  that  the  Lord  was  neither  in  the  wind, 
nor  in  the  earthquake,  nor  in  the  fire,  Elijah  discovered 
that  he  was  in  the  "  still  small  voice,"  called  conscience, 
which  spoke  to  him,  giving  him  directions  as  to  what  he 
should  do  next. 


(170 


172 

Soon  after  this,  Ahab,  the  King  of  Israel,  wanted  to 
make  his  palace  gardens  bigger ;  so  he  asked  Na'both,  a 
poor  man,  to  give  up  his  vineyard.  Naboth  was  offered 
a  good  price  for  this  little  piece  of  land,  but  he  did  not 
wish  to  sell  it.  He  had  inherited  it  from  his  father,  and, 
in  the  eyes  of  a  true  Israelite,  such  a  sale  was  considered 
a  sin. 

When  Jezebel  heard  that  this  poor  man  had  dared  to  re- 
fuse to  sell  his  vineyard  to  Ahab,  she  made  up  her  mind 
to  take  the  little  piece  of  land  by  fraud,  since  it  could 
not  be  obtained  by  fair  means. 

At  first  the  queen  did  not  know  exactly  how  to  do  this, 
but  some  one  told  her  that,  according  to  Israelite  law,  a 
man  who  spoke  ill  of  God  was  punished  by  being  stoned 
to  death,  and  that  his  property  was  given  to  the  king. 
Jezebel  was  delighted  when  she  heard  this,  and  she  imme- 
diately hired  false  witnesses  to  say  that  Naboth  had 
spoken  against  the  Lord. 

These  men  swore  before  the  judges  that  Naboth  was 
guilty ;  so  Naboth  was  killed,  and  the  vineyard  which  the 
king  had  longed  for  became  part  of  the  palace  garden. 
But  the  story  of  Naboth's  death  soon  became  publicly 
known,  and  it  finally  came  to  the  ears  of  Elijah. 

Once  more  the  tall  and  thin  prophet  appeared  unexpect- 
edly before  the  eyes  of  the  king ;  and  this  time  his  stern 
voice  was  heard  proclaiming:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In 
the  place  where  dogs  licked  the  blood  of  Naboth,  shall 
dogs  also  lick  thy  blood,  even  thine.  ...  And  of  Jezebel 
also  spake  the  Lord,  saying,  The  dogs  shall  eat  Jezebel  by 
the  wall  of  Jezreel."  These  were  awful  prophecies,  but 
you  will  soon  see  how  exactly  they  were  fulfilled. 


173 


LII.     SEVERAL    MIRACLES. 

AHAB,  terrified  by  the  prophecy  which  Elijah  had  made 
about  his  death,  now  began  to  show  signs  of  such 
deep  sorrow  that  the  Lord  took  pity  upon  him,  and  put 
off  for  some  time  the  threatened  punishment. 

Shortly  after  Elijah's  warning,  however,  Ahab  received 
a  visit  from  his  neighbor,  Jehoshaphat,  King  of  Judah, 
and  they  two  began  to  plan  war  against  the  King  of 
Damascus,  whom  Ahab  had  already  defeated  in  one  war. 
But  Jehoshaphat,  who  was  a  godly  man,  refused  to  set  out 
until  he  was  sure  that  the  Lord  approved  of  their  plan. 
He  therefore  asked  Ahab's  prophets,  who  all  declared  that 
they  would  win  the  victory.  Only  one  of  these  men  had 
the  courage  to  say,  what  proved  to  be  the  truth,  that  Ahab 
would  lose  his  life  in  this  war. 

Although  Ahab  declared  that  he  did  not  believe  this 
prediction,  he  tried  to  prevent  any  possible  harm  by  going 
into  battle  in  disguise.  In  spite  of  this  caution,  he  was 
mortally  wounded;  but  he  bravely  staid  in  his  chariot 
until  his  army  gave  way,  and  his  panic-stricken  soldiers 
fled,  crying :  "  Every  man  to  his  city  and  every  man  to  his 
own  country." 

Before  Ahab  could  reach  home,  he  breathed  his  last, 
and  his  body  was  buried  in  his  capital,  Samaria.  But 
Elijah's  prophecy  was  none  the  less  fulfilled;  for  the  king's 
blood-stained  chariot  was  washed  on  the  very  spot  where 
Naboth  had  been  stoned  to  death,  and  the  dogs  came  and 
licked  up  his  blood. 

Ahab  was   succeeded  by  his  son   A-ha-zi'ah,  who  was 


i?4 

named  king  while  Jehoshaphat,  terrified  at  the  defeat  of 
the  forces  of  Judah  and  Israel,  was  hastening  back  to 
Jerusalem.  During  Jehoshaphat's  absence  from  his  capi- 
tal, the  tribes  of  the  desert  had  formed  an  alliance  with 
the  Moabites  and  Ammonites,  and  they  now  soon  began 
to  make  war  against  Judah,  hoping  to  throw  off  the  yoke 
which  they  had  been  forced  to  bear  ever  since  the  days  of 
David. 

To  meet  the  coming  danger  in  a  godly  way,  Jehoshaphat 
bade  his  people  fast;  then  he  offered  up  a  sacrifice,  and 
prayed  for  the  help  of  the  Lord.  This  prayer  received  a 
speedy  answer ;  for  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  fell  upon  one  of 
the  Levites,  who  bade  the  people  go  forth  on  the  morrow, 
and  win  a  victory  without  striking  a  blow,  their  part  being 
merely  to  stand  "  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord." 

With  loud  songs  of  praise  the  people  of  Judah  marched 
forth  on  the  next  day,  and  from  afar  they  saw  a  strange 
sight.  The  various  nations,  confused  by  the  traps  and 
ambuscades  which  they  had  set  for  the  men  of  Judah,  had 
fallen  upon  each  other  with  fury,  and,  when  Jehoshaphat 
and  his  army  came  up,  the  ground  was  all  strewn  with 
their  dead. 

This  great  deliverance  from  danger  filled  the  hearts  of 
the  Lord's  people  with  joy,  and  so  terrified  their  enemies 
that  the  peace  was  not  again  broken  as  long  as  Jehosha- 
phat reigned. 

Meanwhile,  Ahaziah,  the  successor  of  Ahab  on  the 
throne  of  Israel,  ruled  only  two  years;  but  during  that 
short  time  he  imitated  all  the  evil  ways  of  both  his  par- 
ents, and  worshiped  idols.  When  he  became  ill,  therefore, 
his  first  thought  was  to  send  messengers  to  one  of  the 


175 

shrines  of  Baal.  But  Elijah  met  the  men  on  their  way 
thither,  and  told  them  that  Ahaziah  would  soon  die  in 
punishment  for  his  sins. 

When  Ahaziah  heard  that  Elijah  had  dared  to  speak 
so,  he  sent  out  fifty  of  his  men  with  orders  to  seize  and 
kill  the  prophet.  This  little  troop  surrounded  Elijah,  who 
was  sitting  on  a  hill,  and  then  the  captain  of  the  men 
went  up  to  him,  crying :  "Thou  man  of  God,  the  king  hath 
said,  '  Come  down.'  " 

In  spite  of  this  summons  Elijah  sat  still  and  answered: 
"  If  I  be  a  man  of  God,  then  let  fire  come  down  from 
heaven,  and  consume  thee  and  thy  fifty."  No  sooner  had 
he  spoken  these  words  than  captain  and  soldiers  perished ; 
and  the  same  fate  overtook  a  second  band  of  soldiers  who 
were  told  to  take  him. 

When  a  third  troop  was  sent  out  by  Ahaziah,  the  fright- 
ened captain  fell  down  upon  his  face  before  Elijah,  beg- 
ging the  prophet  to  spare  him  and  his  men.  In  obedience 
to  God's  command,  Elijah  then  went  with  the  soldiers  into 
the  king's  presence,  where  he  boldly  repeated  the  words 
which  he  had  already  spoken.  This  prophecy  came  true; 
for  Ahaziah,  the  king,  soon  died. 


3>*C 


LIII.     THE   CHARIOT   OF   FIRE. 

ALTHOUGH  Jo'ram,  Ahaziah's  successor,  was  not  an 
idolater  himself,  he  allowed  Jezebel  to  go  on  wor- 
shiping Baal,  and  to  lead  his  people  into  evil  ways.  All 
this  king's  attention  was  taken  up  with  wars,  in  the  hope 


176 

of  recovering  the  land  which  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  King  of  Damascus. 

The  hard  yoke  of  Jezebel  weighed  more  and  more  heav- 
ily upon  the  people  of  Israel,  who,  encouraged  by  their 
prophets,  finally  revolted.  By  God's  order  one  of  these 
holy  men  sought  Je'hu,  captain  of  the  armies  of  Israel, 
anointed  him  king  in  Joram's  stead,  and  told  him  that 
God  was  about  to  cut  off  the  house  of  Ahab,  and  put  an 
end  to  the  idolatry  in  the  land. 

Jehu  made  known  this  divine  message  to  his  fellow- 
officers,  who  not  only  joyfully  hailed  him  king,  but  offered 
to  help  him  overthrow  Joram.  They  said  that  the  mo- 
ment seemed  very  favorable ;  for  the  king  was  ill  from  a 
wound  which  he  had  received  in  one  of  his  battles  a  short 
time  before. 

Thus  encouraged,  Jehu  made  up  his  mind  to  lose  no 
time,  and,  jumping  into  his  chariot,  he  drove  furiously 
toward  the  palace  at  Jezreel.  The  king  heard  that  he  was 
coming,  and  sent  a  messenger  out  to  meet  him  and  ask 
what  he  wanted. 

Instead  of  answering  this  man,  Jehu  drove  on,  and  soon 
saw  Joram,  the  king,  who  had  risen  from  his  bed,  and  was 
riding  out  to  meet  him.  The  rebel  captain  drew  his  bow, 
pierced  the  king  with  an  arrow,  and  left  him  dead  in  the 
bottom  of  his  chariot. 

Having  thus  killed  Joram,  Jehu  quickly  went  on  to  the 
palace,  where  Jezebel,  who  was  now  sixty  years  old,  but 
affected  the  airs  and  appearance  of  a  young  woman, 
leaned  out  of  the  palace  window,  and  taunted  him,  saying : 
"  What  became  of  Zimri,  who  murdered  his  master  ? " 

Instead  of  answering  her,  Jehu  gave  some  orders  to  the 


177 

servants  standing  beside  her,  and  they  flung  her  out  of  the 
window,  down  into  the  court,  where  Jehu's  chariot  wheels 
passed  over  her  body. 

In  the  general  confusion  caused  by  this  sudden  change 
of  rulers,  Jezebel's  remains  were  forgotten ;  so  the  dogs 
of  the  city  came  upon  them  and  devoured  all  but  her 
head,  hands,  and  feet ;  and  thus  was  fulfilled  the  prophecy 
which  Elijah  had  made  when  she  unjustly  caused  the 
death  of  poor  Naboth. 

Jehu  now  put  to  death  Ahab's  seventy  sons,  all  the 
courtiers,  and  the  priests  of  Baal.  Then  after  pulling 
down  the  temples,  altars,  and  groves  which  had  been  con- 
secrated to  idols,  he  restored  the  worship  of  the  Lord,  not 
only  in  Samaria,  his  capital,  but  throughout  his  whole 
kingdom. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  prophet  Elijah  had  been  com- 
manded by  God  to  choose  E-li'sha  as  his  successor.  Not 
long  after  he  had  done  so,  he  felt  that  the  time  was  draw- 
ing near  when  his  earthly  career  would  be  ended ;  so  he 
journeyed  toward  Jericho,  accompanied  by  Elisha. 

When  they  came  to  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  Elijah 
rolled  up  his  mantle,  and  struck  the  waters  with  it,  which 
parted  and  allowed  them  both  to  pass  over  dry  shod. 
Upon  reaching  the  other  side,  Elisha  asked,  as  a  parting 
gift,  that  a  double  portion  of  his  master's  spirit  might  rest 
upon  him. 

Elijah  listened  to  this  request  in  silence,  and  then  prom- 
ised that  it  should  be  granted,  provided  his  disciple  were 
watchful  and  saw  him  taken  away.  The  Bible  now  goes 
on  to  say :  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  still  went  on 
and  talked,  that,  behold,  there  appeared  a  chariot  of  fire, 

STO.    OF    CHO.    PEOP. —  12 


i78 

and  horses  of  fire,  and  parted  them  both  asunder;  and 
Elijah  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven.  And  Elisha 
saw  it,  and  he  cried :  "  My  father,  my  father,  the  chariot 
of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen  thereof !  " 

In  this  fiery  chariot,  Elijah  the  prophet  was  whirled  up 
out  of  sight,  and  as  he  vanished,  his  mantle  fell  down 
upon  Elisha,  as  a  sign  that  the  new  prophet's  request  had 
been  granted.  Elisha  took  up  the  mantle,  and  slowly  re- 
traced his  steps.  He  tested  his  power  by  again  dividing 
the  waters  of  the  Jordan  with  Elijah's  cloak;  and,  going 
to  the  prophets  at  Jericho,  he  told  them  all  that  had 
occurred. 


:>»« 


LIV.     NAAMAN   THE   LEPER. 

ELISHA  had  become  the  successor  of  Elijah,  and  it 
soon  became  plain  that  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  was 
with  him,  because  he  too  could  work  miracles.  Among 
those  which  we  find  written  in  the  Book  of  Kings,  we  see 
that  he  not  only  divided  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  with 
Elijah's  mantle,  but  that  he  also  sweetened  the  waters  of 
a  bitter  spring  at  Jericho. 

On  his  way  to  Bethel,  some  wicked  children  once  scoffed 
at  him,  crying  :  "  Go  up,  thou  bald  head  !  "  In  punishment 
for  this  rude  conduct,  they  were  all  torn  to  pieces  by  the 
bears  that  sprang  out  of  the  forest  upon  them. 

Elisha  next  went  on  to  Mount  Carmel  and  to  Samaria, 
where  he  was  openly  recognized  as  a  prophet  of  the  Lord. 
Later  on,  in  the  course  of   his  ministry,  he  multiplied  a 


1 79 

widow's  cruse  of  oil,  so  that  it  filled  many  jars.  These 
she  sold,  and  the  money  which  she  thus  got  was  enough 
to  supply  all  her  needs. 

To  please  a  woman  who  befriended  him,  Elisha  prayed 
that  she  might  have  a  son.  Five  years  after  this  prayer 
had  been  granted,  the  child  was  taken  out  into  the  harvest 
field  by  his  father.  There  he  was  probably  overcome  by 
the  hot  sun,  for  he  sickened  and  died.  When  Elisha  saw 
the  mother's  grief,  he  felt  very  sorry  for  her,  and  by  a 
miracle  brought  her  dead  child  back  to  life. 

Elisha  once  prevented  a  mess  of  poisoned  pottage  from 
doing  any  harm  to  those  who  ate  of  it,  and  at  another 
time  he  multiplied  twenty  barley  loaves  and  a  few  ears  of 
corn  so  that  they  were  food  enough  for  a  famished  city. 
We  are  also  told  that  he  once  made  an  iron  ax  head  to  rise 
to  the  surface  of  a  stream  in  which  it  had  fallen,  and  swim 
there  until  it  was  taken  out. 

Elisha's  most  famous  miracle  was  done  for  the  sake  of 
Na'a-man,  a  Syrian,  who  came  to  him  to  be  cured  of  his 
leprosy,  which  is  a  terrible  disease.  The  prophet,  instead 
of  laying  his  hands  upon  him,  as  Naaman  expected,  merely 
bade  the  man  go  and  wash  in  the  Jordan  if  he  would  be 
clean. 

This  advice  seemed  far  too  simple  to  please  Naaman,  and 
he  went  off  in  anger,  saying  that  the  rivers  in  his  own 
country  were  just  as  good  as  all  the  waters  of  Israel.  As 
he  was  thus  riding  home  in  high  dudgeon,  one  of  his  ser- 
vants spoke  to  him,  and  after  much  persuasion  induced 
him  to  try  the  remedy  which  Elisha  had  advised,  and 
which  he  had  come  so  far  to  obtain. 

Naaman  then  stepped  down  into  the  Jordan,  and  when 


i8o 


he  had  washed,  his  loathsome  disease  was  all  gone,  and  he 
was  indeed  clean.  In  his  delight  at  being  cured,  he  went 
back  to  thank  Elisha,  and  offered  him  rich  gifts,  which 
the  prophet  refused  to  accept. 

Naaman  departed ;  but  Elisha's  servant  secretly  fol- 
lowed and  stopped  him,  saying  that  he  had  been  sent  by 
his  master  to  ask  for  the  gifts.  He  received  them,  but  in- 
stead of  being  made  richer,  he  was  punished  for  his  deceit 
by  suffering  all  his  life  from  the  disease  of  which  Naaman 
had  been  cured. 

The  Syrians,  or  people  of  Damascus,  ever  since  they 
began  to  wage  war  against  Israel,  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  making  sudden  raids  into  the  country  to  carry  off 
cattle  and  spoil.  Elisha,  warned  by  God  of  their  coming, 
always  sent  word  to  the  king,  who  was  thus  able  to  drive 
the  enemy  away  before  they  had  done  any  damage.  The 
King  of  Syria  soon  heard  that  the  prophet  knew  all  that 
he  said,  even  in  his  bedchamber,  and  that  his  words  were 
always  repeated  to  the  Israelites.  He  therefore  became 
very  anxious  to  capture  Elisha,  and  sent  out  an  armed 
force  for  that  express  purpose. 

The  Syrian  army  surrounded  the  mountain  upon  which 
Elisha  had  taken  refuge,  and  seemed  so  large  that  his 
poor  servant  cried  out  in  fear.  To  reassure  him,  Elisha 
fervently  prayed  that  his  eyes  might  be  opened ;  and  then 
the  man,  looking  up,  saw  the  heavenly  host  mounting 
guard  all  around  them. 

His  fear  was  gone,  and  when  the  Syrian  army  drew 
near  to  take  Elisha  captive,  he  saw  that  all  the  men  were 
struck  with  sudden  blindness.  Helpless,  and  not  know- 
ing where  to  turn,  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  led  into 


i8i 


the  capital  of  their  enemies,  where  Elisha  not  only  restored 
their  sight,  but  persuaded  the  King  of  Israel  to  let  them 
go  home  unharmed. 


>X*c 


LV.     THE   SIEGE   OF   SAMARIA. 

THE  king,  whom  Elisha  had  helped  so  many  times  in 
the  war  against  the  Syrians,  was  Joram.  As  we  have 
already  seen,  this  ruler  of  Israel  allowed  idolatry;  and 
now  God  withdrew  his  protection  from  him,  and  even 
permitted  the  Syrians  to  march  into  his  kingdom  and 
besiege  his  capital. 

During  this  siege  the  people  of  Samaria  suffered  much 
from  famine,  and  at  last  had  nothing  to  eat  but  dogs,  cats, 
and  mice.  We  are  told  that  their  hunger  was  so  great 
that  some  of  the  inhabitants  even  became  cannibals,  and 
that  mothers  ate  their  own  children. 

The  king,  who  pretended  that  Elisha  was  to  blame  for 
all  these  troubles,  finally  sent  for  him,  intending  to  cut 
off  his  head.  But  the  prophet  refused  to  go  to  court, 
and  bade  the  messengers  go  back  and  tell  the  king  that 
there  would  be  plenty  of  food  at  Samaria  on  the  morrow. 
All  the  Sa-mar'i-tans  believed  this  prophecy  except  one 
man,  and  he  was  told  that,  in  punishment  for  his  unbelief, 
he  alone  would  not  eat  of  the  promised  plenty. 

That  selfsame  day,  four  lepers  went  into  the  Syrian 
camp.  While  they  were  there,  they  heard  "  a  noise  of 
chariots  and  a  noise  of  horses,  even  the  noise  of  a  great 
host."      These  sounds  caused  a  panic  in  the  camp,  and 


I  82 


the  Syrians  fled  in  haste,  leaving  their  tents  and  all  their 
stock  of  provisions  behind  them. 

After  satisfying  their  own  hunger,  and  securing  much 
plunder,  the  lepers  went  and  told  this  news  to  the  king. 
Then  all  the  people  of  Samaria  swarmed  out  of  the  city, 
and  rushed  into  the  deserted  camp,  where  they  found 
plenty  to  eat.  Elisha's  prediction  was  fulfilled  in  every 
particular ;  for  the  man  who  had  doubted  his  word  was 
trodden  under  foot  and  killed  by  the  hungry  multitude  as 
they  rushed  toward  the  Syrian  camp. 

We  are  told  in  the  Bible  that  Elisha  worked  one  more 
miracle,  many  years  after  his  death.  It  seems  that  the 
gravediggers  once  hastily  flung  a  body  into  his  grave.  As 
soon  as  this  corpse  touched  the  dead  prophet's  bones,  it 
came  to  life  again,  and  the  man  walked  home  as  if  noth- 
ing had  happened  to  him. 

While  Joram  was  reigning  over  Israel,  another  Joram 
became  king  of  Judah.  This  man  was  the  son  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  and  had  married  Ath-a-li'ah,  daughter  of  Ahab  and 
Jezebel,  who  influenced  him  to  set  up  idols. 

So  great  was  the  wickedness  of  this  king  of  Judah, 
we  are  told,  that  his  reign  would  have  been  the  last,  had 
not  the  Lord  remembered  his  covenant  with  David,  and 
the  promise  which  he  had  made,  that  the  house  of  that 
great  king  should  last. 

So,  instead  of  being  entirely  cut  off,  Joram,  King  of 
Judah,  had  many  troubles.  In  the  first  place,  several  of 
his  cities  rose  up  against  him.  Then  the  Philistines 
and  their  allies  came  into  his  kingdom,  plundered  his 
palace,  and  carried  off  all  his  family  into  captivity,  ex- 
cept one  son.     Last  of  all,  Joram  of  Judah  became  very 


183 

ill,  as  a  prophet  had  foretold,  and  died  after  much  suffer- 
ing, leaving  his  throne  to  his  son  Ahaziah.  This  young 
king  was  so  wicked  that  he  was  allowed  to  rule  only 
one  year  before  he  too  was  forced  to  give  up  the  crown. 

You  remember,  do  you  not,  how  Joram,  King  of  Israel, 
was  killed  by  his  captain,  Jehu  ?  Well,  at  that  time,  Aha- 
ziah of  Judah  was  on  a  visit  to  the  King  of  Israel,  and  rode 
out  of  the  city  with  him  on  the  day  of  his  death.  When 
Joram  was  shot,  Ahaziah  fled,  but  he  too  had  been  struck 
by  one  of  Jehu's  arrows,  and  soon  died. 

It  was  not  enough  to  have  killed  two  kings  and  one 
queen,  so  Jehu  slew  also  many  other  members  of  the 
royal  house  of  Israel.  In  fact,  only  one  member  of  Ahab's 
family  was  now  left.  This  was  Athaliah,  the  mother  of 
Ahaziah,  King  of  Judah.  As  soon  as  Athaliah  heard  that 
her  son  was  dead,  she  treacherously  killed,  as  she  thought, 
all  her  children  and  grandchildren,  so  that  she  might  wield 
the  royal  scepter  herself,  and  keep  up  the  worship  of 
Baal  in  Judah. 

But  her  grandson  Jo'ash,  the  son  of  Ahaziah,  was  saved 
by  his  nurses,  who  carried  him,  bleeding  and  almost  life- 
less, to  his  aunt,  the  wife  of  the  high  priest.  She  gladly 
received  this  little  charge,  and  brought  him  up  in  the 
temple  in  secret. 

Joash  himself  did  not  know  who  he  really  was,  and 
Athaliah  was  allowed  to  reign  over  Judah  undisturbed 
for  more  than  six  years.  But  in  the  seventh  year,  a  con- 
spiracy was  formed  by  the  high  priest,  and  Joash  was 
proclaimed  king  in  the  temple. 

The  priests,  armed  with  the  sacred  weapons,  stood 
around  the  child  king,  ready  to  defend  him,  when  Atha- 


1 84 


liah  suddenly  burst  into  the  temple.  She  had  heard 
rumors  of  an  uprising,  and  came  there  to  put  it  down  with 
a  high  hand.  When  she  saw  her  own  grandson  seated 
upon  the  throne,  and  heard  the  joyful  shouts  of  the  people, 
she  would  have  liked  to  flee. 

But  it  was  too  late.  The  measure  of  her  crimes  was 
full,  and  the  priests  killed  her  just  as  she  was  about  to 
escape.  Many  of  her  followers  were  also  slain,  and  the 
heathen  idols  which  she  had  worshiped  were  banished 
from  the  kingdom. 

LVI.     JO'ASH    KING    OF   JUDAH. 

THE  new  king,  Joash,  was  only  seven  years  old,  so  the 
high  priest  ruled  in  his  stead,  and  under  his  wise 
management,  "all  the  people  of  the  land  rejoiced."  It 
now  seemed  that  with  two  such  kings  as  Joash  and  Jehu, 
the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel  must  long  prosper ;  but, 
as  we  shall  see,  their  happiness  soon  came  to  an  end. 

Jehu  was  the  first  to  relax  his  efforts  to  reform  his  peo- 
ple, and  when  he  too  finally  sank  into  idolatry,  he  was 
made  to  suffer  for  his  sins  by  the  King  of  Syria,  who 
invaded  his  realm.  When  Jehu  died,  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  Je-ho'a-haz.  This  king  also  sinned,  and  for 
this  reason  he  was  forced  to  fight  against  Syria  through- 
out his  reign  of  seventeen  years. 

During  this  time,  the  kingdom  of  Judah  prospered  under 
the  rule  of  Joash.  Advised  by  the  high  priest,  this  king 
not  only  destroyed  all  the  idols,  but  he  undertook  to  re- 
pair the  temple,  and  to  make  new  vessels  for  it  to  replace 


i85 

those  which  Athaliah  had  taken  for  the  service  of  Baal. 
All  the  people  were  asked  to  give  money  for  this  pur- 
pose, and,  so  that  none  should  know  how  much  each  man 
gave,  the  king  made  the  first  money  chest,  which  was 
placed  at  the  gate  of  the  temple.  There  was  a  slit  in  the 
cover  of  this  box,  which  was  opened  every  day,  when  the 
money  was  counted  and  given  over  to  the  man  who  had 
charge  of  the  repairs. 

Joash  reigned  forty  years,  and  as  long  as  he  kept  the 
religion  of  his  fathers,  the  kingdom  prospered;  but  when 
he  began  to  worship  idols,  trouble  came.  Zech-a-ri'ah, 
his  foster  brother,  who  was  now  high  priest,  once  scolded 
Joash  for  worshiping  idols.  This  reproof  made  the  king 
so  angry  that  he  had  the  priest  stoned  to  death,  although 
he  had  once  loved  him  dearly. 

In  punishment  for  this  crime,  the  Lord  now  allowed 
the  King  of  Syria  to  come  into  Jerusalem,  and  carry  away 
the  treasures  of  the  palace  and  temple.  The  enemy 
caused  much  suffering  to  the  people  of  Judah,  who  were 
angry  at  Joash  for  bringing  them  such  misfortune.  Some 
of  them  even  forgot  that  he  was  their  king,  and  allowed 
his  own  servants  to  murder  him  after  the  Syrians  were 
gone. 

Joash  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Am-a-zi'ah,  who,  on  the 
whole,  was  a  just  king.  He  punished  the  men  who  had 
murdered  his  father,  but  spared  their  families.  This  was 
a  very  unusual  act  of  mercy  at  that  time;  for  generally 
when  a  man  did  wrong  his  family  suffered  too. 

When  about  to  make  war  against  the  Edomites,  Amaziah 
hired  some  Israelite  soldiers,  so  as  to  make  his  army  larger. 
But  a  prophet  warned  him  not  to  keep  them  ;  so  he  sent 


1 86 


these  men  away,  and,  with  only  his  own  troops,  defeated 
the  enemy  and  took  their  capital. 

But  although  Amaziah  had  obeyed  the  prophet  once, 
he  soon  disobeyed  him  by  offering  up  a  sacrifice  to  the 
principal  idol  of  the  Edomites.  Because  he  did  this,  he 
had  much  trouble,  and  finally  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
King  of  Israel,  who  was  named  Joash,  like  Amaziah's 
father. 

Joash  of  Israel  not  only  took  Amaziah  prisoner,  but 
marched  into  Jerusalem  through  a  breach  in  the  wall. 
Then,  when  he  had  taken  all  the  treasures  from  the 
temple  and  palace,  he  allowed  Amaziah  to  continue  reign- 
ing, which  he  did  for  the  next  fifteen  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  his  people  had  learned  to  hate  him  so  greatly 
that  they  killed  him  after  he  had  fled  in  terror  from  his 
capital. 

Meanwhile,  after  the  death  of  Jehu,  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  had  been  governed  by  Jehoahaz  and  the  Joash 
who  took  Jerusalem,  as  we  have  just  seen.  Hearing 
that  Elisha  was  very  ill,  this  king  once  went  to  visit  him. 
When  he  saw  that  the  prophet  was  about  to  die,  he  began 
to  weep  bitterly ;  but  Elisha  paid  no  attention  to  his  tears, 
and  told  him  to  take  his  bow  and  arrows. 

Laying  his  dying  hand  upon  Joash's  hand,  Elisha  bade 
him  shoot  an  arrow  out  of  the  window.  Then,  after  the 
king  had  struck  the  ground  three  times  with  an  arrow, 
the  prophet  told  him  that  he  would  win  as  many  victories 
over  the  Syrians.  This  prophecy  came  true,  and  it  was 
only  after  he  had  won  several  cities  that  Joash  died,  and 
his  son  Jeroboam  II.  began  to  reign  over  the  ten  tribes. 

This  Jeroboam  was  the  thirteenth  king  of  Israel,  and 


i87 

during  his  long  reign  of  forty-one  years,  his  people  were 
very  happy.  He  won  for  them  all  the  land  east  of  the 
Jordan  which  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Syrians,  and  even 
went  to  attack  the  great  city  Damascus. 


>xx< 


LVII.     THE   STORY   OF   JONAH. 

IT  was  probably  under  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.,  one 
of  the  greatest  kings  of  Israel,  that  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  to  Jo'nah,  the  prophet,  saying :  "  Arise,  go  to 
Nineveh,  that  great  city,  and  cry  against  it ;  for  their 
wickedness  is  come  up  before  me." 

When  Jonah  heard  these  words,  he  was  terrified ;  for 
Nineveh  was  not  only  the  great  city  of  As-syr'i-a,  but  one 
of  the  finest  towns  of  the  ancient  world.  It  lay  far  to 
the  northeast  of  Palestine,  and  was  under  the  rule  of  a 
powerful  and  very  despotic  race  of  kings,  who  took  pleas- 
ure in  building  some  of  the  most  remarkable  edifices  in 
the  world. 

Although  more  than  twenty-five  hundred  years  have 
passed  since  the  kingdom  of  Assyria  was  destroyed,  ex- 
plorers have  lately  found  the  ruins  of  this  great  city. 
After  digging  in  huge  mounds  of  rubbish,  they  found 
ruined  palaces,  adorned  with  wonderful  paintings  and 
sculptures,  many  of  which  have  been  carried  to  the 
European  museums. 

At  the  time  when  the  voice  of  the  Lord  came  to  Jonah, 
Nineveh  had  reached  the  highest  point  of  its  glory  and 
prosperity.     The  prophet  knew  the  pride  of  the  people, 


Painting  by  C.  iV.  Kennedy 
(188) 


Jonah. 


1 89 

and  the  power  of  the  king ;  and  it  is  no  wonder  that 
he  did  not  care  to  go  there  to  deliver  so  disagreeable 
a  message. 

In  his  terror,  Jonah  fled  to  the  seaport  of  Joppa,  where 
he  went  on  board  a  ship  bound  for  Tar'shish.  His  object 
was  to  get  as  far  away  from  Nineveh  as  possible,  so  that 
he  would  not  need  to  do  as  the  Lord  had  bidden  him. 
But  no  sooner  were  they  far  out  at  sea  than  a  terrible 
storm  arose,  endangering  the  vessel  and  the  lives  of  all 
on  board. 

The  sailors,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  de- 
clared that  there  must  be  some  guilty  person  on  the 
ship,  whose  presence  brought  this  peril  upon  them  all. 
To  discover  the  culprit,  they  drew  lots,  and  when  Jonah 
was  thus  found  to  be  the  sinner,  they  cast  him  overboard, 
"and  the  sea  ceased  from  her  raging.  .  .  .  Now  the 
Lord  had  prepared  a  great  fish  to  swallow  up  Jonah ; 
and  Jonah  was  in  the  belly  of  the  fish  three  days  and 
three  nights." 

We  are  further  told  that  Jonah,  who  was  still  alive, 
"prayed  unto  the  Lord  his  God  out  of  the  fish's  belly," 
and  that  God  had  pity  upon  him  and  bade  the  fish 
vomit  Jonah  out  upon  dry  land. 

The  prophet  had  been  saved  from  great  peril  by  a 
miracle,  and  when  the  Lord  again  bade  him  go  to  Nine- 
veh, he  no  longer  dared  disobey.  He  finally  reached 
the  city,  which  was  so  large  that  it  took  several  days  to 
walk  around  it.  Jonah  viewed  its  magnificent  buildings 
and  beautiful  sculptures,  and,  standing  perhaps  near 
one  of  the  colossal  statues  which  have  been  found  in 
the  ruins,  he  preached  repentance  to  the  people,  threat- 


190 

ening  them  with  the  overthrow  of  their  great  city  within 
forty  days,  if  they  refused  to  listen  to  his  words. 

It  seems  that  the  people  of  Nineveh  believed  God's 
words  and  led  better  lives.  And,  because  they  "  turned 
from  their  evil  way,  .  .  .  God  repented  of  the  evil  that  he 
had  said  that  he  would  do  unto  them ;  and  he  did  it  not." 

Of  course  the  men  of  Nineveh  were  overjoyed  to  escape 
the  threatened  punishment,  but  Jonah,  the  prophet,  was 
disappointed  because  the  judgment  of  God  was  staid. 
He  went  outside  the  city,  and  sat  there  in  sulky  silence, 
under  a  little  booth  over  which  the  Lord  caused  a  gourd 
vine  to  grow  in  the  course  of  a  single  night. 

The  cool  shade  of  the  spreading  vine  was  very  grateful 
to  the  angry  prophet,  during  the  sunny  hours  of  an  eastern 
day.  But  the  next  night  a  worm  came  and  gnawed  the 
roots,  so  that  the  vine  died.  Jonah,  deprived  of  its  shelter, 
now  complained  aloud. 

In  answer  to  his  murmurs,  God  said :  "  Thou  hast  had 
pity  on  the  gourd,  for  the  which  thou  hast  not  labored, 
neither  madest  it  grow ;  which  came  up  in  a  night,  and 
perished  in  a  night.  And  should  not  I  spare  Nineveh, 
that  great  city,  wherein  are  more  than  six  score  thousand 
persons  that  cannot  discern  between  their  right  hand  and 
their  left?" 

You  see,  it  was  for  the  sake  of  the  innocent  little  chil- 
dren, who  could  not  tell  their  right  hand  from  their  left, 
that  God  had  spared  the  great  city ;  and  he  now  wished 
to  remind  Jonah  that  one  should  be  far  more  pitiful 
toward  one's  fellow-creatures  than  toward  a  mere  plant. 


191 


LVIII.     THE   CAPTIVITY   OF   ISRAEL. 

UNDER  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.,  or  of  the  kings  who 
came  just  before,  two  other  prophets  arose  in  Israel, 
Ho-se'a  and  A'mos.  Both  spoke  prophecies  which  are 
written  down  in  the  Bible,  in  books  bearing  their  names. 
Hosea  foretold  the  captivity  of  his  people,  and  their  return 
to  the  Holy  Land,  and  he  compared  the  sins  of  the  people 
to  those  of  his  own  wife,  who  had  forsaken  him.  The 
Lord's  forgiveness  of  his  people  was  further  made  clear 
by  fjosea's  own  generosity  in  receiving  again,  and  ten- 
derly supporting,  this  runaway  wife  in  her  old  age. 

Amos,  the  other  prophet,  was  called  from  his  labors  as 
a  shepherd  to  speak  against  idolatry,  and  to  foretell  the 
doom  of  all  the  nations  that  dwelt  in  that  part  of  Asia. 
He  too  foretold  the  return  from  captivity,  and  before  he 
died  he  had  visions  concerning  the  coming  of  the  Messiah. 

After  reigning  forty-one  years,  Jeroboam  II.,  King  of 
Israel,  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  who  indulged  in  sin,  and 
fell  under  the  blows  of  a  conspirator.  This  man  destroyed 
all  that  was  left  of  the  race  of  Jehu,  and  took  possession 
of  the  throne.  But  he  did  not  long  enjoy  the  royal  author- 
ity ;  for  he  was  murdered  one  month  later  by  Men'a-hem, 
who  became  king  and  reigned  ten  years,  treating  the 
people  with  great  cruelty. 

It  was  under  the  reign  of  Menahem,  and  while  he  and 
his  people  were  again  worshiping  idols,  that  the  strong 
Assyrians  first  came  to  attack  the  kingdom.  But  the  king 
managed  to  buy  them  off,  by  offering  them  one  thousand 
talents  of  silver  to  leave  Israel  in  peace. 


192 

The  second  king  after  Menahem,  however,  made  an 
alliance  with  the  Syrians,  and,  thus  strengthened,  dared  to 
fight  against  the  haughty  Assyrians.  He  was  defeated, 
and  saw  a  large  part  of  his  people  led  off  into  captivity, 
as  had  been  foretold  by  the  prophets.  Menahem  himself 
was  allowed  to  keep  his  poor  kingdom,  but  was  soon  mur- 
dered by  Ho-she'a,  his  successor,  the  nineteenth  and  last 
king  of  Israel. 

While  all  these  unfortunate  events  were  taking  place 
in  the  kingdom  of'  Israel,  Amaziah,  King  of  Judah,  had 
been  succeeded  by  his  son  Uz-zi'ah,  an  able  monarch.  As 
Uzziah  served  the  Lord,  he  was  granted  a  long  and  pros- 
perous reign.  But,  encouraged  by  prosperity,  he  finally 
became  very  proud,  and  forgot  to  whom  his  blessings 
were  due.  He  tried  to  assume  the  duties  of  a  priest, 
which  the  Levites  alone  were  allowed  to  perform ;  and 
thus  he  called  forth  the  wrath  of  God. 

Uzziah  came  into  the  temple  to  burn  incense,  in  spite 
of  the  high  priest  and  of  eighty  of  his  assistants  ;  but  as 
soon  as  he  began  it,  the  Lord  struck  him  with  leprosy, 
and  a  white  plague  spot  suddenly  appeared  on  his  fore- 
head. 

When  the  people  saw  what  had  happened,  they  all  took 
up  the  cry  of  "  unclean,  unclean,"  and  drove  Uzziah  out 
of  the  temple,  which  his  presence  polluted.  He  had  to 
go  away  to  a  lonely  place,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life  in  torture,  while  his  son  governed  in  his  name. 

When  Uzziah  finally  died,  his  son  Jotham  became  king, 
and  for  sixteen  years  he  ruled  over  Judah  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord,  and  led  a  godly  and  faultless  life.  But  in  spite 
of  all  his  virtues,  the  people  gradually  grew  more  corrupt ; 


193 

and  when  A'haz,  his  son,  succeeded  him,  and  no  longer 
tried  to  restrain  them,  they  again  openly  worshiped  idols. 

To  punish  Ahaz  for  thus  sinking  with  his  people  into 
such  gross  idolatry,  the  Lord  allowed  the  Kings  of  Israel 
and  Syria  to  defeat  him  in  war,  and  to  kill  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  of  his  men.  Jerusalem  would  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  Israelites  on  this  occasion,  had  not 
I-sa'iah,  a  prophet,  encouraged  the  people  to  repent  and 
defend  themselves  bravely  against  the  attack. 

Thus  delivered  from  the  danger  of  falling  into  the 
enemy's  hands,  Ahaz  still  had  to  war  against  the  Syri- 
ans and  Philistines,  who  had  both  attacked  him.  But 
instead  of  relying  upon  the  help  of  the  Lord,  Ahaz  called 
the  Assyrians  to  his  aid,  offering  all  the  temple  treasure 
as  a  bribe,  and  promising  to  recognize  the  Assyrian  king 
as  his  lord. 

In  answer  to  this  appeal,  the  Assyrians  marched  against 
Damascus,  killed  the  Syrian  king,  and  carried  his  people 
off  into  captivity.  It  was  then,  as  we  have  seen,  that  a 
part  of  the  Israelites  were  also  captured  and  led  away. 
They  were  the  tribes  of  Reuben,  Gad,  and  Manasseh,  the 
very  ones  who  had  claimed  the  land  east  of  the  Jordan. 

Ahaz  then  went  to  Damascus  and  had  a  talk  with  the 
Assyrian  king,  to  whom  he  gave  the  sacred  golden  vessels, 
the  bases  under  the  lavers,  and  many  other  of  the  price- 
less ornaments  of  the  temple.  The  King  of  Judah  had  by 
this  time  grown  so  wicked  that  he  set  up  a  heathen  altar 
in  the  temple ;  and  he  would  probably  have  done  much 
more  harm,  had  not  his  reign  been  mercifully  cut  short. 

STO.    OF    CHO.    PEOP. —  1 3 


194 


LIX.     THE   STORY   OF   TOBIT. 

THE  wicked  King  of  Judah,  Ahaz,  was  succeeded  by 
Hez-e-ki'ah,  his  son,  who  "did  that  which  was  right 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  He  reopened  and  purified  the 
temple,  restored  the  worship  of  God,  and  called  the  people 
together  to  celebrate  a  grand  Passover,  the  first  which  is 
mentioned  since  the  time  of  Joshua. 

On  this  solemn  occasion,  Hezekiah,  the  good  king,  pub- 
licly asked  God's  pardon  for  all  who  had  sinned ;  and  he 
pulled  down  all  the  heathen  idols  and  altars.  He  even 
ordered  that  the  Brazen  Serpent,  which  had  been  made  by 
Moses,  should  be  broken  to  pieces,  because  the  people 
had  now  begun  to  worship  this  too. 

Then,  relying  upon  the  help  of  the  Lord,  Hezekiah 
drove  back  the  Philistines,  and  boldly  refused  to  pay  any 
more  tribute  to  the  Assyrians.  Of  course  they  were  very 
angry  when  they  heard  that  this  Jewish  king  had  thus 
tried  to  free  himself  from  their  power,  and  they  soon 
came  marching  toward  Palestine. 

Hoshea,  King  of  Israel  at  that  time,  followed  Hezekiah's 
example ;  so  the  Assyrians  came  into  his  land,  and  made 
his  people  suffer  so  much  that  they  were  glad  to  get  rid 
of  the  enemy  by  promising  to  pay  the  tribute.  Not  long 
after  this,  however,  the  Israelites  revolted  again,  and  this 
time  the  Assyrians  besieged  Samaria.  They  became  mas- 
ters of  this  city  after  a  three  years'  siege,  and  carried  off 
twenty-seven  thousand,  two  hundred  and  eighty  families 
into  captivity. 

Thus  the  kingdom  of  Israel  came  to  an  end,  and  the 


195 

ten  tribes  which  formed  it  were  led  away  to  Assyria, 
whence  they  never  came  back  as  a  separate  people. 

As  you  know,  there  are  many  different  kinds  of 
churches ;  well,  there  are  different  kinds  of  Bibles,  too. 
In  some  of  them  nothing  more  is  said  about  the  ten  tribes, 
but  in  the  others  we  are  told  that  some  of  the  captives 
went  on  worshiping  God  in  their  new  homes.  In  these 
Bibles  also  we  find  the  story  of  To'bit,  which  is  so  inter- 
esting that  many  pictures  have  been  made  of  the  scenes 
which  it  describes. 

The  story  tells  that  Tobit,  a  good  Israelite,  lent  all  his 
money  to  his  poorer  brethren,  until  he  had  none  left,  and 
had  to  depend  on  his  daily  labor  for  bread.  One  day, 
during  the  noon  hour,  he  lay  down  in  the  shadow  of  a 
wall  to  sleep. 

Some  birds,  building  their  nest  above  him,  let  fall  little 
pieces  of  lime,  which  dropped  into  Tobit's  eyes  and  made 
him  lose  his  sight.  Blind  now,  and  unable  to  work,  Tobit 
called  his  young  son  To-bi'as,  bidding  him  seek  a  guide, 
and  journey  to  a  distant  province.  Here  the  young  man 
was  to  find  an  old  friend  of  his  father's,  and  collect  from 
him  a  sum  of  money,  loaned  many  years  before. 

Young  Tobias  found  a  guide  at  the  city  gates,  and  set 
out  with  him,  not  knowing  that  he  was  the  angel  Raph'a-el 
in  disguise.  In  the  course  of  their  journey,  Tobias,  while 
bathing  in  a  river,  was  attacked  by  a  monster  fish.  Helped 
by  the  angel,  he  not  only  escaped  from  all  peril  but  also 
caught  the  fish.  After  taking  the  gall  and  gills,  which  by 
the  angel's  advice  he  carried  with  him,  Tobias  went  on. 

He  finally  reached  the  debtor's  house,  and  not  only  col- 
lected  the  sum   of   money,  but  also  married   the  man's 


Painting  by  Dore. 
(I96) 


Tobias  and  the  Angel. 


i97 

daughter.  This  damsel  had  already  been  married  seven 
times,  but  each  one  of  her  husbands  had  been  killed  on 
his  wedding  night  by  a  demon  who  loved  her. 

By  the  angel's  advice,  Tobias  burned  the  fish  gills  in  the 
wedding  chamber,  and  the  smoke  killed  the  jealous  demon. 
Then  Tobias  joyfully  went  home,  with  his  bride  and  with 
the  money  which  he  had  gone  to  seek. 

The  angel  Raphael,  who  had  ever  been  at  his  side,  now 
bade  Tobias  rub  his  father's  eyes  with  the  fish  gall.  Thus 
the  pious  old  man  got  back  his  sight  just  in  time  to  see 
the  heavenly  messenger  resume  his  angelic  form,  and 
wing  his  way  back  to  heaven,  amid  the  adoring  silence  of 
the  happy  family  whom  he  had  befriended. 


>XKC 


LX.      THE  ASSYRIAN    HOST. 

AFTER  the  siege  of  Samaria,  the  Assyrian  host  began 
to  besiege  the  city  of  Tyre,  which  held  out  bravely 
for  five  years.  But  before  it  could  be  taken,  the  Assyri- 
ans were  called  home  by  a  war  with  the  Medes  and  Bab-y- 
lo'ni-ans,  and  the  Tyr'i-ans  fancied  that  they  had  won. 

But  Isaiah,  the  great  prophet  whose  predictions  are  writ- 
ten in  the  Bible,  in  a  book  bearing  his  name,  sadly  warned 
the  merchant  city  of  Tyre  that  although  she  had  escaped 
this  time,  she  was  doomed  to  utter  destruction. 

Soon  after  this,  Hezekiah,  King  of  Judah,  was  "sick 
unto  death."  He  was  very  unwilling  to  die,  and  in  his 
distress  he  sent  for  Isaiah,  begging  the  prophet  to  make 
his  life  longer.     Isaiah  then  promised  the  king  that  he 


198 

should  get  well  again,  and  in  token  of  the  truth  of  this 
promise,  the  prophet  made  the  shadow  creep  back  ten 
degrees  on  the  sundial,  and  said  that  Hezekiah's  life 
would  be  lengthened  by  fifteen  years. 

This  respite,  and  the  miracle  of  the  sundial,  came  to  the 
ears  of  the  King  of  Babylon ;  so  he  sent  an  embassy  to 
congratulate  Hezekiah,  and  to  offer  to  make  an  alliance 
with  him  against  Assyria.  Hezekiah  was  so  proud  to 
receive  an  embassy  from  the  Babylonian  king  that  he 
showed  all  his  wealth  to  the  messengers,  and  even  let 
them  see  all  the  treasures  of  the  temple. 

Isaiah  was  indignant  at  this  vain  display,  and  sadly  told 
Hezekiah  that  his  treasures  would  be  wrested  away  from 
him,  not  by  the  Assyrians,  whom  he  feared,  but  by  the 
Babylonians,  whom  he  trusted.  Now  that  they  knew  what 
wealth  was  there,  he  said,  they  would  long  to  get  it. 

When  Hezekiah  heard  this,  he  repented  of  his  vanity, 
and  humbled  himself  before  the  Lord.  He  prayed  so 
fervently  for  forgiveness  that  he  was  told  that  the  mis- 
fortunes which  had  been  foretold  would  not  be  allowed 
to  happen  during  his  day. 

The  Assyrian  king,  having  made  peace  at  home,  again 
came  into  Judah,  on  his  way  to  conquer  Egypt.  And 
now,  although  Isaiah  had  foretold  the  downfall  of  the 
Egyptians,  the  Jews  offered  them  their  alliance. 

The  Egyptians,  sure  of  their  own  strength,  scornfully 
refused  to  receive  any  help,  and  all  that  the  Jews  gained 
by  their  rash  behavior  was  to  call  down  upon  their  own 
heads  the  wrath  of  the  Assyrians.  Isaiah  bitterly  re- 
proached his  countrymen  for  what  they  had  done,  but 
at  the  same  time  he  told  them  they  need  not  fear  the 


199 

Assyrians,  because  God  would  defeat  the  invaders  by 
strange  means,  while  the  people  need  but  stand  by  and 
see  his  power. 

Reassured  by  these  words,  Hezekiah  at  first  showed 
no  fear  when  the  Assyrians  came,  but  later  on,  influenced 
by  the  terrified  people,  he  tried  to  buy  off  the  invaders, 
by  giving  them  three  hundred  talents  of  silver  and  thirty 
talents  of  gold.  This  large  sum  was  procured  by  the 
sacrifice  of  his  own  plate,  and  by  stripping  the  precious 
metal  off  the  temple  pillars. 

The  Assyrian  king  nevertheless  sent  one  of  his  gen- 
erals to  take  possession  of  Jerusalem,  and  then  Isaiah's 
prophecy  was  fulfilled ;  for,  in  the  dead  of  night,  "  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  went  out,  and  smote  in  the  camp  of 
the  Assyrians  a  hundred  four  score  and  five  thousand." 
When  the  Jewish  watchman  looked  out  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, he  saw  all  the  plain  strewn  with  corpses ! 

Hezekiah,  thus  saved  by  a  miracle  from  the  awful  dan- 
ger which  threatened  him,  now  spent  the  rest  of  his  life 
in  peace  and  prosperity,  and  when  he  died  he  was  hon- 
ored by  the  chief  place  in  the  sepulcher  of  the  Kings  of 
Judah. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Manasseh,  his  son,  who  was  then 
only  twelve  years  of  age,  and  who  ruled  over  the  coun- 
try fifty-five  years.  In  the  first  part  of  this  long  reign, 
Manasseh  fell  into  idolatry,  profaned  the  temple,  and 
made  his  own  son  undergo  a  heathen  rite,  and  "  pass 
through  the  fire,"  a  sacrifice  to  Moloch. 

Manasseh  dealt  with  wizards  and  witches ;  he  perse- 
cuted many  of  the  prophets,  and  probably  killed  Isaiah. 
It  was  in  punishment  for  all  these  sins  that  the  Assyrians 


200 


were  again  allowed  to  come  into  his  kingdom,  and  even 
to  carry  him  off  into  captivity. 

Then  Manasseh  felt  so  sorry  for  all  the  wrong  he  had 
done  that  God  took  pity  upon  him,  and  sent  him  back 
to  his  kingdom  at  Jerusalem.  Here  this  king  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life  quite  comfortably ;  and  when  he  died  he 
left  his  throne  to  his  son  A'mon. 


:**c 


LXI.     THE   PROPHECIES   OF   JEREMIAH. 

AS  Amon,  the  new  King  of  Judah,  was  wicked  and  idola- 
trous, his  reign  lasted  only  two  years,  and  he  died 
the  victim  of  a  conspiracy.  His  son  Jo-si'ah  succeeded 
him,  and  reigned  at  Jerusalem  thirty-one  years.  This 
king  was  a  very  virtuous  man,  and  although  the  people 
all  around  him  were  terribly  wicked,  he  remained  good 
and  chose  to  serve  the  Lord. 

At  twenty  years  of  age,  Josiah  made  a  journey  all 
through  his  kingdom,  asking  his  people  to  put  away  idola- 
try, destroying  their  idols,  and  collecting  money  to  repair 
the  temple.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  high  priest  again 
found  the  long-lost  and  nearly  forgotten  book  of  the  law, 
and  read  it  aloud  to  the  king. 

Josiah  was  so  impressed  when  he  heard  the  terrible  pun- 
ishments threatened  that  he  tore  his  clothing,  and  called 
for  a  prophet  to  come  and  explain  to  him  the  parts  he 
could  not  understand.  But  all  the  prophets  had  been 
killed,  and  it  was  only  after  long  search  that  a  woman  was 
found  who  could  tell  him  the  meaning  of  the  sacred  words. 


201 


She  said  that  all  that  was  written  was  true,  but  com- 
forted the  mourning  king  by  telling  him  that  he  should 
not  see  the  downfall  of  Jerusalem.  To  save  his  people  if 
possible,  Josiah  ordered  a  public  reading  of  the  law,  pulled 
down  all  the  idols  that  were  left,  and  denied  To'phet,  the 
hot  fire  kindled  for  the  worship  of  Moloch. 

When  Jerusalem  had  been  thoroughly  purified,  he  put 
all  the  wizards  and  witches  to  death,  and  then  celebrated 
the  Passover  at  Jerusalem,  according  to  the  teachings  of 
the  newly  found  book  of  the  law. 

While  all  these  changes  were  taking  place  in  Judah,  the 
strong  Assyrian  kingdom  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Babylonians  and  Medes  ;  and  Nineveh,  the  proud  city,  was 
destroyed  as  had  been  foretold  by  Isaiah  and  two  lesser 
prophets. 

Hearing  that  the  Egyptians  were  on  their  way  to  attack 
the  Babylonians,  his  allies,  Josiah  made  an  attempt  to  stop 
them.  In  this  battle,  however,  he  received  a  mortal  wound, 
and  he  died  almost  as  soon  as  he  reached  Jerusalem.  His 
death  was  mourned  by  the  great  prophet  Jer-e-mi'ah,  and 
by  all  the  people. 

Josiah  was  the  sixteenth  and  last  real  king  of  Judah; 
for  although  four  others  bore  that  name,  they  were  only 
the  servants  of  the  Egyptian  or  Babylonian  kings,  who 
ruled  the  people  and  country  as  they  pleased. 

The  Egyptians,  angry  because  Josiah  had  tried  to  stop 
them,  came  to  attack  Jerusalem  under  his  successor. 
After  pulling  him  down  from  the  throne,  they  named  his 
brother  Je-hoi'a-kim  king  in  his  stead.  This  new  king  did 
evil,  so  Jeremiah  rebuked  him  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
and   again   foretold    that   the    Jews   would   be   taken   in 


202 


captivity  to  Babylon,  whence  they  would  return  only  after 
many  years. 

The  king  vainly  tried  to  silence  the  prophet,  but  Jere- 
miah went  on  to  foretell  the  destruction  of  the  temple. 
This  prediction  so  enraged  the  priests  that  they  would 
have  put  him  to  death,  had  not  the  judges  declared  that  a 
prophet  had  the  right  to  say  anything  he  pleased. 

By  this  time  the  Babylonians  had  fought  and  defeated 
the  Egyptians,  and  marching  into  Palestine,  they  now  laid 
siege  to  Jerusalem,  and  took  the  city  after  a  short  resist- 
ance. Jehoiakim  was  allowed  to  keep  the  throne,  on  con- 
dition that  he  would  Be  the  vassal  of  Babylon ;  and  the 
conquerors  departed,  carrying  off  all  the  vessels  of  the 
temple,  and  a  number  of  noble  Hebrew  youths,  who  were 
to  be  detained  at  their  court  as  hostages. 

Jerusalem  was  left  in  a  very  sorry  condition,  and  the 
humbled  people  kept  a  solemn  fast,  during  which  Jeremiah 
again  begged  them  to  turn  from  their  evil  ways  and  re- 
pent. With  the  help  of  an  assistant,  Jeremiah  wrote  down 
all  the  prophecies  he  had  uttered,  and  he  now  ordered 
that  they  should  be.  read  aloud,  so  that  the  people  might 
see  that  some  of  them  had  already  been  fulfilled. 

Jehoiakim,  the  king,  was  not  present  at  this  solemn 
reading,  but  he  sent  a  man  to  get  the  prophecies  and  read 
them  to  him.  He  was  so  displeased,  however,  with  what 
he  heard  that  he  burned  the  roll  as  soon  as  it  was 
read.  This  proved  to  be  of  no  use,  for,  by  the  Lord's 
command,  Jeremiah  again  made  his  assistant  write  down 
every  word  he  had  said,  adding  a  prophecy  about  the  deso- 
lation which  was  to  happen  to  Judah,  and  about  the  king's 
disgraceful  end. 


203 


LXII.     THE   CAPTIVITY   OF   JUDAH. 

JEHOIAKIM  relied  upon  the  help  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  soon  revolted  against  Neb-u-chad-nez'zar,  King  of 
Babylon.  This  king  was  busy  just  then  with  another  war, 
so  he  paid  no  heed  at  first  to  the  uprising  of  the  Jews. 

When  the  war  was  ended  he  marched  against  Jerusa- 
lem, and  put  Jehoiakim  to  death  in  the  way  that  Jeremiah 
had  foretold.  The  son  of  Jehoiakim  now  became  King  of 
Judah,  but,  as  he  was  only  eight  years  of  age,  his  courtiers 
reigned  in  his  stead.  They  were  neither  good  nor  wise, 
and  made  so  much  trouble  that  Nebuchadnezzar,  in  anger, 
came  again  to  Jerusalem,  and  carried  off  the  king,  his 
courtiers,  and  ten  thousand  prisoners. 

It  was  probably  some  time  during  these  campaigns  that 
an  event  took  place  which  you  will  not  find  in  some  Bibles, 
but  which  you  will  often  see  in  pictures.  It  seems  that 
one  of  the  Assyrian  generals  caused  so  much  trouble  in 
the  country,  that  a  brave  Jewish  woman  named  Ju'dith 
made  up  her  mind  to  kill  him.  She  dressed  herself  up  in 
her  finest  clothes,  and  went  down  to  the  general's  tent, 
pretending  that  she  had  come  to  visit  him  because  she 
loved  him.  The  general  gave  her  a  grand  supper,  and 
when  he  fell  asleep  after  drinking  much  wine,  she  took  a 
sword  and  cut  off  his  head.  Then  she  called  her  servant, 
put  the  dead  general's  head  in  a  cloth,  and  carried  it 
home,  to  show  her  people  what  she  had  done. 

As  Jerusalem  could  not  be  left  without  a  ruler,  the 
Babylonians  now  chose  Zed-e-ki'ah,  Josiah's  youngest  son, 
to  fill  this  office.     He  was  a  vassal  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 


Pat7iting  by  Landelle. 
(204) 


Judith. 


205 

and  as  he  closely  followed  Jeremiah's  advice  during  the 
beginning  of  his  reign,  all  went  well  at  first. 

Made  bold  by  success,  Zedekiah  fancied  that  he  might 
shake  off  the  Babylonian  yoke,  so  he  sought  the  alliance 
of  Egypt.  In  punishment,  his  capital  was  again  besieged, 
and  at  the  end  of  two  and  a  half  years  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Babylonians.  They  took  Zedekiah  captive 
and  sacked  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 

Not  only  were  the  temple  and  the  houses  burned,  but 
the  city  walls  were  all  torn  down.  This  calamity  seemed 
so  great  to  the  Jews  that  the  anniversary  of  this  evil  day 
was  always  observed  as  a  time  of  mourning  and  fasting. 

Although  the  Babylonians  would  have  liked  to  carry 
all  the  population  off  into  captivity,  the  people  had  suf- 
fered so  much  during  the  long  siege  that  only  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-two  of  them  were  strong  enough  to 
stand  the  long  journey. 

The  others  were  left  in  Palestine,  to  farm  the  land  and 
take  care  of  the  vineyards.  The  country  was  placed 
under  the  rule  of  a  governor,  advised  by  Jeremiah.  The 
prophet  told  the  people  to  be  patient  and  to  submit,  and 
at  first  they  were  so  weak  and  so  tired  of  war  that  they 
were  only  too  ready  to  obey ;  but  as  soon  as  they  got  back 
strength,  they  again  revolted,  choosing  a  prince  of  Jewish 
blood  as  their  leader. 

After  murdering  the  governor  whom  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  given  them,  the  Jews  suddenly  began  to  fear  the  wrath 
of  the  Babylonians.  Hoping  to  escape  from  it,  they  fled 
into  Egypt,  where  they  fancied  that  they  would  be  safe, 
although  Jeremiah  warned  them  that  Egypt  also  would 
soon  fall  into  the  hands  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 


2o6 


This  prophecy  was  also  spoken  at  the  same  time  by 
E-ze'ki-el,  who  was  among  the  captive  Jews  at  Babylon. 
It  came  true,  too,  before  long ;  for  Nebuchadnezzar  be- 
came master  of  Tyre,  after  a  siege  of  more  than  thirteen 
years,  and  then  went  on  to  conquer  Egypt. 

The  Jews  who  had  taken  refuge  in  Egypt  were  duly 
punished,  and  when  the  Babylonian  army  went  home, 
they  took  with  them  long  caravans  of  captives,  and  left 
Judah  a  desert.  These  captives  found  many  of  their 
friends  at  Babylon,  for  twice  before  some  of  the  Jews 
had  been  led  thither  into  bondage. 


3XKC 


LXIII.     NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S    DREAMS. 

THE  young  Jewish  hostages  whom  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  carried  off  in  the  beginning  of  his  reign,  had 
grown  up  in  Babylon,  where  they  had  received  their  edu- 
cation. But  although  so  far  away  from  home,  and  com- 
pletely cut  off  from  their  people,  they  had  not  forgotten 
that  they  belonged  to  God's  Chosen  Race. 

A  few  among  them,  following  the  example  of  Dan'iel, 
their  young  chief,  ate  pulse  rather  than  defile  themselves 
with  the  meat  upon  the  king's  table,  which  had  first  been 
placed  on  the  altars  of  the  idols.  One  of  the  officers  in 
charge,  seeing  the  young  men  eat  such  poor  food,  tried 
to  force  them  to  partake  of  better  fare,  lest  they  should 
grow  thin  and  weak,  or  starve  to  death. 

But  Daniel  coaxed  this  man  to  let  them  go  on  eating 
pulse,  and  when  the  officer  saw  that  the  young  captives 


20J 

were  ruddier  and  stronger  than  their  companions,  he  no 
longer  troubled  them.  We  are  told  in  the  Bible  that  God 
gave  all  these  Hebrew  youths  much  knowledge,  but  that 
to  Daniel,  his  servant  and  prophet,  he  gave  a  keen  in- 
sight into  dreams  and  visions,  a  power  which  was  to  prove 
very  useful. 

In  the  second  year  of  his  reign,  Nebuchadnezzar  was 
greatly  worried  by  a  dream  which  came  every  night,  but 
which  he  could  never  remember  when  he  awoke.  He 
asked  the  wise  men  to  describe  this  dream  to  him  and  to 
explain  its  meaning;  but  all  in  vain.  Now,  Nebuchad- 
nezzar was  in  the  habit  of  always  having  his  own  way  ; 
and  when  these  men  did  not  answer  him  he  was  so  angry 
that  he  wanted  to  put  them  all  to  death.  But  Daniel 
came  and  begged  the  king  not  to  do  so,  saying  that  he 
would  tell  and  explain  the  vision  in  their  stead. 

After  a  short  prayer,  in  which  he  asked  the  help  of  the 
Lord,  Daniel  came  back  and  told  the  king  that  he  had  seen 
in  his  dreams  a  great  statue,  with  a  golden  head,  silver 
arms  and  breast,  brazen  belly  and  thighs,  iron  legs,  and 
feet  and  toes  that  were  part  iron  and  part  clay.  This 
statue  was  knocked  down  by  a  stone,  —  cut  without  hands 
from  the  living  rock,  —  which  came  rolling  along  with  great 
force.  Then,  having  broken  the  image  into  pieces,  this 
stone  grew  larger  and  larger,  until  it  became  a  great 
mountain  which  filled  all  the  earth. 

Next,  Daniel  told  the  meaning  of  this  strange  dream. 
He  said  that  the  different  parts  of  the  statue  represented 
different  kingdoms.  The  head  of  gold  was  the  kingdom 
of  Babylon.  Then  would  come  in  turn  other  powers 
which   would   be   like   the   silver,    brass,    iron,    and   clay. 


208 


But  all  these  kingdoms  would  come  to  an  end,  when  "  the 
God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be 
destroyed." 

Like  a  great  many  of  the  prophecies,  this  was  not 
understood  until  many  years  after,  but  now  we  are  told 
that  the  golden  head  stood  for  the  kingdom  of  the  As- 
syrians and  Babylonians,  and  the  silver  arms  and  breast 
for  the  Medes  and  Persians,  who  next  took  possession  of 
Babylon.  The  brazen  belly  and  thighs  were  the  kingdom 
founded  by  Al-ex-an'der  the  Great ;  the  iron  legs  stood  for 
the  Roman  Empire,  and  the  iron  and  clay  feet  and  toes 
represented  the  many  but  short-lived  kingdoms  which 
were  formed  from  it.  Finally,  the  Christians  say  that 
the  stone,  cut  without  hands  from  the  living  rock,  was 
to  represent  the  religion  taught  by  Jesus  Christ,  which 
would  in  time  spread  all  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Nebuchadnezzar  was  so  astonished  that  Daniel  could 
describe  and  explain  his  dream,  that  he  fell  down  upon 
his  face  at  the  ybung  prophet's  feet,  and  did  homage  to 
him.  In  reward  for  this  service,  he  made  Daniel  ruler 
over  the  whole  province  of  Babylon,  and  gave  important 
offices  to  his  three  companions. 

Although  the  king  knew  that  God  had  helped  Daniel, 
he  would  not  yield  to  the  Lord,  but  soon  afterwards  set 
up  a  golden  image  which  he  bade  all  his  subjects  wor- 
ship ;  and  when  *the  three  young  Jews  whom  he  had  so 
highly  honored,  refused  to  bow  down  before  it,  he  con- 
demned them  to  be  cast  into  a  fiery  furnace. 

This  mode  of  execution  had  already  often  been  tried, 
even  on  the  Jews,  and  all  the  victims  had  died.  Imagine 
Nebuchadnezzar's    surprise,  therefore,  when   he   saw  the 


209 

youths  calmly  walking  about  amid  the  flames,  in  com- 
pany with  a  fourth  figure,  which  looked  like  an  angel. 

The  king  at  once  ordered  that  the  young  men  should 
be  set  free,  and  they  came  out  of  the  fiery  furnace  un- 
harmed, and  even  without  any  odor  of  fire  about  their 
hair  or  garments.  But  in  spite  of  this  miracle,  the  king 
did  not  yet  believe  fully  in  the  power  of  the  GTod  of  the 
Jews. 

Shortly  after,  Nebuchadnezzar  was  greatly  troubled  by 
another  vision,  or  dream,  in  which  he  saw  a  great  tree 
which  overshadowed  all  the  earth.  But  even  while  he  was 
admiring  it,  he  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  order  that  the 
tree  should  be  cut  down,  and  that  his  man's  heart  should 
be  changed  into  that  of  a  beast  for  seven  years'  space. 

None  of  the  wise  men  could  explain  this  dream,  so 
Daniel  was  again  called  upon.  The  young  Hebrew 
prophet  told  Nebuchadnezzar  that  the  mighty  tree  stood 
for  him,  that  he  would  be  cut  down  in  his  pride,  and 
that  for  the  space  of  seven  long  years  his  reason  would 
forsake  him,  and  he  would  eat  grass  like  the  beasts  of 
the  field. 

Although  Daniel  warned  Nebuchadnezzar  that  this  ca- 
lamity could  be  warded  off  only  by  repentance,  the  King 
of  Babylon  went  on  living  as  before.  One  year  later  the 
prophecy  came  true ;  the  mighty  king  became  insane,  and 
for  seven  years  he  was  like  the  "beasts  of  the  field." 

Nebuchadnezzar,  however,  recovered  his  reason  at  the 
end  of  the  appointed  time,  and,  doing  honor  to  God,  went 
on  reigning  over  Babylon  for  many  years.  His  career 
was  brilliant  to  its  end,  and  when  he  died,  his  son  suc- 
ceeded him. 

STO.    OF    CHO.    PEOP. —  1 4 


210 


LXIV.     THE   FEAST   OF   BELSHAZZAR. 

THE  new  ruler  of  Babylon  seems  to  have  been  a  very 
kind  monarch ;  for  he  took  Jehoiachin,  the  King  of 
Judah,  out  of  his  prison.  Although  this  captive  was  not 
allowed  to  return  to  Jerusalem,  he  was  treated  like  a  guest 
in  the  Babylonian  palace.  We  know  but  little  of  this  King 
of  Babylon,  but  we  are  told  that  he  was  soon  followed  by 
Bel-shaz'zar. 

Many  great  changes  had  been  brought  about  in  the 
Eastern  world  in  the  mean  while.  The  Me'di-an  empire, 
which  had  taken  the  place  of  the  mighty  Assyrian  realm, 
was  now  in  its  turn  to  be  conquered  by  a  king  of  Per'sia 
called  Cy'rus  the  Great.  He  is  called  in  the  Bible  the 
"anointed  of  the  Lord,"  because  he  was  the  man  chosen 
to  fulfill  some  of  the  old  prophecies. 

As  soon  as  Cyrus  became  master  of  Persia,  Media, 
and  Assyria,  he  longed  also  to  conquer  the  more  southern 
province  of  Babylon,  and  secretly  made  plans  to  enter 
into  the  city  when  his  coming  was  not  expected,  and  take 
possession  of  it. 

One  night,  Belshazzar  and  all  his  courtiers  were  feast- 
ing in  one  of  the  magnificent  palace  halls.  The  king, 
probably  excited  by  the  wine  he  had  drunk,  suddenly  gave 
orders  that  the  golden  vessels  taken  from  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem  should  be  brought  to  grace  his  feast. 

He  was  just  drinking  out  of  one  of  these  sacred  cups, 
when  all  at  once  a  ghostly  hand  appeared  before  him,  and 
traced  on  the  palace  wall  three  mysterious  words  which 
he  could  not  understand.     Belshazzar  grew  pale  and  trem- 


211 


bled,  and  sent  in  haste  for  the  wise  men ;  but  they  could 
not  explain  what  the  words  meant. 

Then  the  queen  remembered  that  Daniel  had  explained 
Nebuchadnezzar's  visions,  and  by  her  advice  he  was 
brought  into  the  banquet  hall.  Without  a  moment's  hesi- 
tation, the  prophet  of  the  Lord  boldly  told  Belshazzar  that 
because  he  had  not  humbled  his  heart  before  God  he  was 
about  to  be  punished. 

The  mysterious  words,  "  Mene,  mene,  tekel,  upharsin," 
he  said,  meant  that  God  had  weighed  Belshazzar  in  the 
balance  and  found  him  wanting,  and  that  his  kingdom 
would  now  be  taken  from  him  and  given  to  the  Persians. 

Belshazzar  rewarded  Daniel  for  his  explanation,  which 
he  either  did  not  believe  or  tried  to  forget  by  going  on 
with  the  feast.  But  that  very  night,  when  the  revelers 
were  fast  asleep,  the  Persians  secretly  entered  Babylon 
by  turning  aside  the  river  which  passed  through  it,  and 
noiselessly  following  its  bed  into  the  very  heart  of  the  city. 

In  the  Bible,  we  are  simply  told  that  "  in  that  night  was 
Belshazzar,  the  King  of  the  Chal-de'ans,  slain."  Cyrus 
was  now  King  of  Babylon,  but  he  spared  the  Jews  in  the 
general  massacre  which  took  place.  Then,  while  the  Per- 
sian king  went  on  with  his  wars,  Da-ri'us,  the  Mede, 
governed  the  conquered  city,  with  the  help  of  Daniel, 
who  had  been  a  faithful  servant  of  the  former  kings. 

Now  it  seems  that  many  of  the  court  officers  were 
greatly  offended  at  being  obliged  to  render  account  to  a 
Jew,  and  sought  an  excuse  to  get  rid  of  Daniel.  It  was 
hopeless,  they  knew,  to  wait  for  him  to  commit  any  fault, 
so  they  made  a  plot  whereby  his  religion  would  bring  him 
into  trouble  with  Darius. 


212 


Prompted  by  these  artful  men,  Darius  made  one  of 
those  very  strict  laws,  which  even  a  king  could  not  change, 
and  said  that  no  one  should  address  any  prayer  to  God  or 
man  for  thirty  days,  under  penalty  of  being  cast  into  the 
lions'  den. 

Although  Daniel  knew  this  order,  he  did  not  let  it  hin- 
der him.  Opening  his  window,  as  usual,  toward  Jerusa- 
lem, he  offered  up  his  daily  prayers.  His  enemies,  lying 
in  wait,  found  him  out  and  told  Darius ;  and  then  the 
king,  although  he  would  have  liked  to  spare  Daniel,  was 
forced  to  keep  his  own  law,  and  ordered  that  the  prophet 
should  be  cast  into  the  lions'  den. 

Darius,  however,  must  have  believed  that  God  had  the 
power  to  protect  his  servant ;  for  he  said  to  Daniel :  "Thy 
God  whom  thou  servest  continually,  he  will  deliver  thee." 
It  seems  that  Darius  did  not  fear  the  hungry  lions  so  much 
as  he  did  his  wicked  courtiers ;  for  as  soon  as  his  orders 
had  been  obeyed,  he  had  a  stone  placed  over  the  opening 
of  the  den,  and  set  his  seal  upon  it,  so  that  it  could  not  be 
moved  without  his  knowledge. 

Early  on  the  next  day,  Darius  hastened  to  the  lions' 
den,  and  had  the  stone  pushed  aside.  Then,  bending  over 
the  dark  hole,  he  anxiously  cried :  "  O  Daniel,  servant  of 
the  living  God,  is  thy  God,  whom  thou  servest  continually, 
able  to  deliver  thee  from  the  lions  ?  " 

From  the  depths  of  that  awful  den  came  the  calm  reply  : 
"  My  God  hath  sent  his  angel,  and  hath  shut  the  lions' 
mouths,  that  they  have  not  hurt  me."  Daniel  was  now 
set  free,  his  accusers  were  hurled  into  the  lions'  den  in  his 
stead,  and  Darius  said  publicly  that  Daniel's  God  should 
be  honored  throughout  all  the  land. 


(213) 


214 


LXV.     THE    RETURN    FROM    CAPTIVITY. 

THERE  is  a  story  told  about  Daniel  which  is  not 
found  in  all  Bibles,  but  which  has  so  often  been 
used  as  a  subject  for  pictures  that  it  should  be  well  known. 
This  story  tells  us  that  when  Daniel  was  very  young,  he 
was  once  present  where  a  trial  was  taking  place. 

Two  old  men  had  come  before  the  judge,  and  had  ac- 
cused a  beautiful  young  woman  named  Su-san'nah  of  a 
terrible  crime.  The  judges,  after  listening. to  all  that  the 
old  men  had  to  say,  condemned  Susannah  to  death.  The 
executioners  were  about  to  lead  her  away,  when  Daniel  sud- 
denly arose,  and  said  that  the  old  men  were  the  real  cul- 
prit? and  that  they  had  tried  to  make  Susannah  do  wrong ; 
that,  as  she  was  a  very  good  woman,  she  refused  to  do  so, 
and  the  old  men,  in  anger,  had  decided  to  punish  her  for 
not  doing  as  they  wished,  by  telling  a  lie  to  the  judges. 

When  Daniel  had  spoken  thus,  the  judges  gazed  upon 
the  old  men,  whose  guilty  faces  proved  that  he  had  told 
the  truth.  So  the  old  men  were  condemned,  and  Susan- 
nah was  allowed  to  go  free.  She  was  honored  everywhere 
after  this  as  a  truly  good  woman. 

Daniel's  career  after  he  had  been  saved  from  the  lions' 
den  seems  to  have  been  very  prosperous.  He  spoke  many 
prophecies,  which  are  written  down  in  the  book  bearing 
his  name,  and  he  foretold  that  at  the  end  of  seventy  weeks 
the  captive  Jews  would  be  allowed  to  go  back  to  Jerusalem. 
He  added  that  their  hopes  would  finally  be  crowned  by 
the  coming  of  the  long-promised  Messiah,  the  Prince  of 
Peace. 


2I5 

Daniel  also  had  many  visions,  among  which  was  one  of 
four  beasts.  The  first  was  like  a  lion  with  eagle's  wings, 
the  second  like  a  bear,  the  third  like  a  leopard,  with  four 
wings  and  four  heads,  and  lastly  came  another  beast, 
different  from  all  the  rest,  and  with  ten  horns  on  its 
head.  This  strange  vision,  like  the  statue  which  Nebu- 
chadnezzar had  seen,  was  interpreted  as  a  sign  of  the 
kingdoms  which  would  rule  the  land  in  turn  ;  and  it  has 
been  called  a  prophecy  of  coming  political  events. 

Cyrus  the  Great,  having  finished  all  his  conquests,  now 
came  back  to  rule  in  person  over  Babylon ;  and  there  he 
soon  made  a  law  which  allowed  the  Jewish  captives  to  go 
back  to  Jerusalem,  and  he  also  gave  them  permission  to 
rebuild  their  famous  temple. 

A  great-grandson  of  King  Jehoiakim  was  chosen  by 
Cyrus  to  lead  the  Jews  home,  and  a  long  caravan  was 
soon  formed,  numbering  forty-two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  men.  Among  these  was  Jesh'u-a,  the  high 
priest,  to  whom  were  intrusted  all  the  golden  vessels 
carried  away  from  Jerusalem  so  many  years  before,  and 
plenty  of  money  to  build  a  new  temple. 

As  soon  as  the  Jews  came  to  Jerusalem,  they  offered 
up  sacrifices,  and  began  rebuilding  both  the  city  and  the 
temple.  They  were  greatly  hindered  in  this  work,  how- 
ever, by  the  constant  raids  of  their  neighbors,  whose 
proffered  services  had  been  refused  because  they  were 
idolaters. 

As  one  half  of  the  Jews  were  obliged  to  be  always 
under  arms  and  on  the  watch  to  drive  back  these  enemies, 
the  work  went  on  very  slowly.  Then,  long  before  the 
temple  was   finished,  Cyrus  died,  and  when  a   new  king 


2l6 


came  to  the  throne,  he    sent  them   strict  orders  to  stop 
their  labors. 

Two  of  the  Hebrew  prophets  finally  obtained  the  repeal 
of  this  order,  and,  setting  vigorously  to  work,  the  Jews 
finished  their  new  temple  five  hundred  and  fifteen  years 
before  Christ. 

LXVI.     THE   STORY   OF    ESTHER. 

THE  next  Persian  king  who  claims  our  attention  is 
Xerx'es,  who  is  called  A-has-u-e'rus  in  the  Bible. 
This  monarch  had  married  a  beautiful  princess  named 
Vash'ti.  Proud  of  her  beauty,  he  once  bade  her  appear 
unveiled  before  his  courtiers ;  but  as  such  a  thing  seemed 
immodest  to  an  Eastern  woman,  she  refused  to  obey  him. 

The  Persian  king,  whose  orders  had  never  before  been 
disregarded,  was  so  angry  at  Vashti  for  this  refusal  that 
he  vowed  he  would  never  see  her  again.  He  soon  re- 
gretted these  rash  words,  for  he  loved  her  dearly;  but 
as  the  words  of  a  Persian  king  could  never  be  taken 
back,  he  could  not  recall  her. 

His  courtiers,  seeing  him  sad  and  lonely,  now  suggested 
that  the  most  beautiful  maidens  from  all  parts  of  his  realm 
should  be  brought  together,  so  that  he  might  make  choice 
of  a  new  wife  among  them.  The  king  was  pleased  by 
this  suggestion ;  but  as  some  time  would  be  needed  before 
it  could  be  carried  out,  he  spent  the  time  of  waiting  by 
making  his  great  expedition  against  Greece.* 

On    his   return,  the  maidens  were   assembled,  and    he 

*  See  Guerber's  Story  of  the  Greeks. 


21/ 

picked  out  from  among  them  all  a  beautiful  young  Jew- 
ess named  Es'ther,  the  niece  of  Mor'de-cai,  one  of  his 
government  officers.  Soon  after  the  marriage  had  taken 
place,  Mordecai  made  known  to  Esther  a  secret  plot 
against  the  king's  life,  and  thus  helped  him  to  seize  and 
punish  the  men  who  would  have  liked  to  murder  him. 

The  account  of  this  service,  and  the  name  of  the  man 
who  rendered  it,  were  written  down  in  the  annals  of  the 
king's  reign ;  for,  like  the  other  Persian  monarchs,  Ahasu- 
erus  kept  a  record  of  all  that  was  done  in  his  kingdom. 

There  was  at  the  court,  at  this  time,  another  foreigner, 
Ha'man  the  Amalekite,  a  cunning,  cruel,  and  envious  man. 
He  hated  all  the  Jews  because  they  had  been  the  enemies 
of  his  race,  and  he  felt  a  special  dislike  for  Mordecai, 
because  this  man  had  refused  to  show  him  the  respect 
which  he  fancied  was  his  due. 

Haman,  having  reached  the  rank  of  prime  minister  and 
special  adviser  of  the  king,  soon  persuaded  his  master 
that  the  Jews  in  his  kingdom  were  plotting  a  revolt. 
Thus  he  obtained  from  Ahasuerus  a  decree  ordering  a 
general  massacre  of  all  the  Jews  in  his  territory  on  a 
certain  date. 

In  the  time  between  the  making  and  carrying  out  of 
this  decree,  the  news  came  to  the  ears  of  Mordecai.  He 
was  in  despair  when  he  heard  that  he  and  all  his  unhappy 
race  were  doomed  to  die.  In  his  grief,  he  tore  his  clothes 
and  put  ashes  upon  his  head,  which  was  the  usual  sign  of 
mourning  among  the  Jews  at  that  time. 

Then  Mordecai  went  to  sit  at  the  palace  gates,  where 
some  of  the  servants  of  Esther  saw  him.  They  went  and 
told  the  queen  that  her  uncle  was  out  there,  in  deep  grief. 


218 


So  Esther  sent  to  ask  what  was  the  matter,  and  thus  heard 
of  the  terrible  decree  which  Haman  had  obtained  from 
the  king.  She  too  was  in  despair,  and  when  Mordecai 
said  that  she  must  go  to  her  husband  and  plead  for  her- 
self and  for  her  people,  she  said  that  it  was  impossible. 

It  seems  that  no  one  in  the  whole  Persian  court  was 
allowed  to  appear  before  the  king  without  being  called. 
If  any  one,  even  his  wife,  came  into  his  presence  unasked, 
the  guards  drew  their  swords  and  killed  that  person  on 
the  spot,  unless  the  king  stretched  out  his  scepter  to  the 
visitor. 

Urged  by  Mordecai,  Esther  finally  said  that  she  would 
risk  her  life  to  save  her  people,  and,  after  spending  some 
time  in  prayer,  she  dressed  herself  in  her  finest  clothes,  so 
that  her  beauty  might  help  her  to  win  the  king's  favor. 
Then  she  went  into  the  king's  room,  but  when  she  caught 
a  glimpse  of  his  stern  face,  she  almost  fainted  with  terror. 

Ahasuerus  now  saw  who  it  was  that  had  dared  to 
come  into  his  presence  without  being  asked.  Touched 
by  Esther's  great  beauty  and  entreating  gestures,  he  not 
only  forgave  her  for  coming,  but  promised  to  grant  any 
favor  she  might  ask,  even  to  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 

Esther  timidly  said  that  if  he  would  only  honor  her  by 
coming  to  a  feast  in  her  rooms,  to  which  Haman  was  also 
to  be  asked,  she  would  tell  him  what  wish  had  driven  her 
into  his  presence  at  the  risk  of  her  life. 

The  king  promised  to  come,  and  when  Esther  had  gone, 
he  called  Haman  and  invited  him  to  supper  in  his  wife's 
name.  Haman  was  delighted,  for  this  was  a  very  great 
honor;  but  as  he  left  the  palace  he  saw  Mordecai,  who 
again  refused  to  bow  down  before  him. 


2I9 

This  second  refusal  made  Haman  so  angry  that  he 
followed  his  wife's  advice,  and  had  a  gallows  built  over 
seventy-five  feet  high.  He  meant  to  get  the  king's  per- 
mission to  hang  Mordecai  upon  these  gallows  on  the  mor- 
row, because  he  was  too  impatient  for  his  revenge  to  wait 
until  the  day  named  for  the  killing  of  all  the  Jews. 

LXVII.     THE   JEWS   SAVED    FROM    DEATH. 

ON  the  night  after  Esther's  visit,  it  happened  that  the 
king  was  very  restless,  and  could  not  sleep.  So  he 
called  one  of  his  servants  and  bade  him  read  aloud  the 
annals  of  his  reign.  Ahasuerus  listened,  well  pleased, 
until  the  man  came  to  the  part  which  told  of  the  king's 
danger,  and  how  he  had  been  saved  from  death  by  Mor- 
decai's  warning. 

The  king,  thus  reminded  of  this  great  service,  quickly 
asked  what  reward  had  been  given  to  the  man  who  had 
saved  him.  When  the  servant  answered  that  nothing  had 
been  done  for  Mordecai,  Ahasuerus  was  very  indignant, 
and  called  for  some  one  to  advise  him  what  reward  would 
be  best.  The  servant  went  in  search  of  a  courtier,  and 
found  Haman,  who  had  come  to  the  palace  very  early,  so 
that  he  could  get  an  order  to  hang  Mordecai. 

As  soon  as  he  was  brought  into  the  king's  presence, 
Ahasuerus  cried,  "What  shall  be  done  unto  the  man 
whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honor?" 

Like  the  vain  man  that  he  was,  Haman  fancied  that  the 
reward  could  be  intended  only  for  himself;  so  he  promptly 


220 


answered  that  the  man  ought  to  be  clad  in  royal  robes, 
and  set  upon  one  of  the  king's  own  horses.  Then  some 
noble  prince  ought  to  lead  the  horse  by  the  bridle  through 
the  principal  streets  of  the  city,  calling  aloud  to  all  the 
people  to  bow  down  before  the  king's  faithful  servant. 

Delighted  with  this  answer,  Ahasuerus  told  Haman  to 
call  Mordecai,  and  have  him  richly  dressed,  and  mounted 
upon  the  best  horse  in  the  royal  stables.  The  king  added 
that  Haman,  as  the  greatest  person  at  court,  should  lead 
the  horse  by  the  bridle  and  do  all  that  he  had  said. 

Haman's  heart  was  full  of  rage  when  he  heard  this,  and 
he  hated  Mordecai  worse  than  ever.  Still  he  did  not  dare 
to  disobey,  and  had  to  do  all  as  he  had  said.  But  as  he 
bade  the  people  bow  down  before  Mordecai,  he  kept  think- 
ing that  his  turn  would  soon  come ;  for  the  day  named  for 
the  massacre  of  the  Jews  was  near  at  hand. 

When  evening  came,  Haman  went  to  the  palace  to 
attend  the  queen's  feast,  little  thinking  what  awaited  him 
there.  The  supper  passed  off  well,  and  when  it  was 
nearly  ended  the  king  reminded  Esther  that  she  had  not 
yet  asked  him  the  favor  which  he  had  promised  to  grant. 

Then  Esther  fell  at  the  king's  feet  and  told  him  that  a 
traitor  had  plotted  to  bring  about  her  death,  and  that  of 
all  her  race.  A  few  astonished  questions  on  the  king's 
part  soon  brought  to  light  the  whole  story,  and  Ahasuerus, 
seeing  Haman's  baseness,  condemned  him  to  be  hung  on 
the  gallows  which  had  been  built  for  Mordecai's  execution. 

As  a  royal  decree  could  not  be  set  aside  in  Persia,  Ahas- 
uerus now  made  another,  warning  all  the  Jews  in  his  king- 
dom of  their  peril,  and  allowing  them  to  defend  themselves. 
The  result  of  these  two  conflicting  orders  was  a  desperate 


221 


armed  struggle,  in  which  seventy-five  thousand  Persians 
lost  their  lives.  It  was  then  that  the  Jews  won  the  victory 
which  they  have  celebrated  ever  since  at  a  feast  called 
Pu'rim. 

We  know  nothing  further  of  the  Jews,  who  were  still  in 
captivity,  until  Ez'ra  got  from  another  Persian  monarch  a 
permit  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  with  all  the  Jews  who  wished  to 
accompany  him  thither.  This  new  caravan  reached  the 
Holy  City  in  safety,  and  Ezra  is  said  to  have  made  many 
reforms  in  the  government  of  the  people. 

Some  thirteen  years  later,  when  he  was  again  in  the 
city,  Ezra  was  joined  there  by  Ne-he-mi'ah,  another  noted 
Jew,  who,  after  visiting  the  place  by  night,  decided  to  rebuild 
the  old  walls.  Encouraged  by  his  words  and  example, 
the  Jews  labored  so  hard  that  the  work  was  soon  done,  in 
spite  of  the  hindrances  raised  by  their  many  enemies. 

On  another  visit  to  Jerusalem,  a  few  years  later,  Nehe- 
miah  purified  the  temple,  made  the  people  remember  to 
keep  the  Sabbath  holy,  and  began  many  other  reforms. 
These  are  all  written  in  the  book  bearing  his  name,  which 
also  contains  many  appeals  to  God  to  have  mercy  upon 
his  Chosen  People. 

The  last  book  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  last  con- 
sidered sacred,  by  the  Jews,  is  the  book  of  the  prophet 
Mal'a-chi,  "the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness." 
He  preached  repentance  to  the  people,  told  them  it  was 
the  only  right  way  to  get  ready  for  the  coming  of  the 
long-promised  Messiah,  and  foretold  the  birth  of  John 
the  Baptist,  four  hundred  years  before  he  came. 

Although  the  Old  Testament  ends  here  and  the  New 
Testament  begins  more  than  four  centuries  later,  we  find 


222 


in  history  a  record  of  the  principal  events  which  happened 
to  the  Jews  during  those  long  years  when  first  the  Greeks 
and  then  the  Romans  became  masters  of  the  Old  World. 


>*k< 


LXVIII.     ALEXANDER  AND  THE  HIGH  PRIEST. 

WHEN  the  Jews  came  back  from  captivity,  they  were 
under  the  rule  of  the  high  priest  Jeshua,  and 
although  later  on  a  Persian  governor  was  sent  to  collect 
tribute,  etc.,  the  government  was  still  a  theocracy  as  of 
old.  Shortly  after  Nehemiah's  death,  Judah,  or  Ju-de'a, 
was  placed  under  the  rule  of  a  governor  of  Syria ;  but  the 
Jews  revolted  before  long,  and  then  their  land  was  again 
overrun  by  armies,  and  many  of  them  were  carried  off  into 
captivity. 

It  was  during  the  time  of  the  high  priest  Jad'du-a  the 
Sixth,  after  the  return  from  captivity  under  Cyrus  the 
Great,  that  Alexander,  King  of  Mac'e-don,  crossed  over 
into  Asia  Minor.  He  defeated  the  Persians  in  the  battles 
of  Gran'i-cus  and  Is'sus,  and  conquered  all  Asia  Minor, 
Syria,  and  Phoenicia.  Then  he  marched  into  Judea,  where 
he  wanted  to  punish  the  people  for  supplying  his  enemies 
with  food  and  refusing  to  help  him. 

Warned  in  a  dream,  Jaddua,  instead  of  getting  ready  to 
fight,  opened  wide  the  city  gates,  and  clothed  all  the  peo- 
ple in  white.  Then  heading  a  long  procession  of  priests 
in  full  dress,  he  went  forth  to  meet  the  coming  host. 

Jaddua  met  Alexander  at  the  head  of  his  army ;  and,  to 
the  surprise  of   all  present,  the  proud   young   conqueror 


223 

jumped  down  from  his  horse  and  paid  respectful  homage 
to  the  high  priest.  When  asked  why  he  had  thus  sud- 
denly forgotten  his  anger  against  the  Jews,  Alexander 
said  that  before  he  had  set  out  from  home  he  had  been 
favored  by  a  vision,  in  which  Jaddua  had  appeared  to  him, 
inviting  him  to  cross  over  into  Asia,  and  foretelling  his 
victory  over  the  Persians. 

Hand  in  hand,  Alexander  and  Jaddua  now  went  up  to 
the  temple,  where  the  young  conqueror  asked  the  high 
priest  to  offer  a  sacrifice  in  his  name.  Alexander  exam- 
ined the  temple  with  wonder,  and  heard  the  priests  read 
out  of  their  sacred  books.  The  one  he  liked  best  was 
that  of  Daniel,  where  the  high  priest  showed  him  how  his 
coming  had  been  foretold  in  Nebuchadnezzar's  vision  of 
the  statue. 

When  Alexander  the  Great  died  at  Babylon,  a  few  years 
later,  the  vast  empire  which  he  had  conquered  was  divided 
between  his  generals.  The  first  ruler  of  Palestine,  how- 
ever, did  not  long  keep  it ;  for  Ptol'e-my,  King  of  Egypt, 
another  of  Alexander's  generals,  soon  took  possession  of 
it  by  force. 

As  the  Jews  refused  to  obey  him,  Ptolemy  marched 
against  them  ;  and,  by  attacking  them  only  on  the  Sabbath 
Day,  when  they  were  forbidden  by  law  to  fight,  he  soon 
became  their  master.  To  punish  them,  he  carried  off  one 
hundred  thousand  Jews  into  Egypt,  where  they  formed 
the  bulk  of  the  population  in  some  of  the  recently  founded 
cities,  among  which  was  Al-ex-an'dri-a. 

Six  years  later,  another  claimant  wrested  Judea  away 
from  Ptolemy,  but  the  Egyptians  soon  recovered  posses- 
sion of  it.     When  peace  was  restored,  Ptolemy  II.  asked 


224 

the  high  priest  to  send  seventy  learned  men  to  Alexandria, 
to  make  a  Greek  translation  of  the  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. These  men  performed  their  task  with  the  utmost 
care,  and  produced  a  beautiful  translation.  From  the  num- 
ber of  men  who  worked  at  it,  this  version  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  known  as  the  Sep'tu-a-gint. 

The  King  of  Syria  and  his  successors  kept  up  a  long  and 
bloody  warfare  with  the  Kings  of  Egypt,  for  the  possession 
of  Judea;  and  after  many  ups  and  downs  Ptolemy  IV. 
entered  Jerusalem,  and  tried  to  force  his  way  into  the  tem- 
ple's inmost  sanctuary.  Si'mon,  the  high  priest,  coura- 
geously forbade  this  desecration,  and  thereby  so  angered 
Ptolemy  that  he  treated  the  conquered  Jews  with  the 
greatest  cruelty. 

A  few  years  later,  the  King  of  Syria  was  master  of  the 
Jews,  and  had  to  raise  some  money ;  so  he  sent  one  of  his 
officers,  named  He-li-o-do'rus,  to  strip  the  temple  of  its 
gold  and  silver. 

The  people  were  terrified  by  the  danger  which  threat- 
ened them;  for  they  knew  that  they  were  not  strong 
enough  to  defend  this  treasure.  They  groaned  and 
prayed  aloud,  and  it  is  said  that  when  Heliodorus  entered 
the  temple,  he  was  met  by  an  angel  of  the  Lord,  mounted 
upon  a  fiery  steed.  This  rider  trampled  him  under  foot, 
while  two  other  angels,  armed  with  whips,  chastised  him 
severely. 

Heliodorus  did  not  dare  to  make  any  further  attempt  to 
take  the  treasure ;  but  at  last  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

Some  years  later,  another  general  also  desecrated  the 
temple,  by  driving  a  herd  of  swine  into  its  sacred  courts. 


225 

This  was  "the  abomination  of  desolation"  which  the  faith- 
ful Jews  could  neither  forgive*nor  forget,  and  they  gladly 
rallied  around  a  bold  leader,  Mat-ta-thi'as,  determined  to 
make  a  brave  stand  for  their  religion,  which  the  enemy 
would  fain  have  stamped  out  for  good. 


>ra< 


LXIX.     THE   BEGINNING   OF  THE   END. 

MATTATHIAS  had  noticed  that  by  strictly  keeping 
the  Sabbath,  his  people  had  often  been  defeated ; 
so  he  now  led  them  into  battle  even  on  the  holy  day,  and 
won  so  many  victories  that  the  Jews  soon  began  to  gain 
hope  once  more.  When  his  end  was  drawing  near,  this 
brave  old  man  called  his  five  sons  to  his  bedside.  He 
named  Simon,  the  second  and  wisest,  as  ruler  and  adviser, 
while  Ju'das  Mac-ca-bae'us,  the  third,  was  made  general  of 
the  army. 

The  Mac'ca-bees,  as  these  five  brethren  and  their  de- 
scendants are  generally  called,  fought  so  bravely  that  they 
little  by  little  defeated  all  the  generals  sent  against  them. 
They  became  masters  of  Jerusalem,  repaired  the  temple, 
and  after  purifying  it  again  began  to  worship  God  in  it. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  a  small  vial  of  holy  oil  miracu- 
lously supplied  enough  for  all  the  temple  lamps ;  and  ever 
since  then  the  faithful  Jews  have  commemorated  this 
miracle  by  the  "  Feast  of  Lights." 

The  Maccabees  went  on  fighting  against  the  Syrians 
with  the  utmost  bravery.  For  instance,  one  of  them  once 
slipped  under  a  fighting  elephant  which  he  fancied  carried 

STO.  OF  CHO.  PEOP.  —  1 5 


226 


the  Syrian  king,  and  sacrificed  his  own  life  in  hopes  of 
killing  the  enemy  of  his  people. 

Judas  Maccabaeus  struggled  without  a  pause  for  ten 
years,  fighting  more  battles  than  we  can  count,  and  with 
only  a  small  force  keeping  the  enemy  at  bay  until  the  Jews 
had  a  chance  to  rise  from  the  dust.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  he  fell  in  battle ;  but  when  he  died  it  was  knowing 
that  he  had  done  his  best,  and  had  taught  his  followers 
how  to  fight  and  be  strong. 

The  Jews  were  now  guided  in  turn  by  the  other  Macca- 
bees, and  under  one  of  them  they  entirely  shook  off  the 
Syrian  dominion,  and  entered  into  a  league  with  the 
Romans.  At  this  time  the  province  of  Samaria  was  laid 
waste,  and  a  rival  temple  there  was  destroyed. 

A-ris-to-bu'lus,  one  of  the  Maccabees,  was  the  first  who 
bore  the  royal  title  since  the  return  from  Babylon,  but  his 
reign  was  very  short.  The  next  king  left  two  sons,  who 
quarreled  over  the  throne,  and  one  of  them  asked  for  the 
help  of  the  Romans. 

Pom'pey,  the  great  Roman  general,  came  in  answer  to 
this  appeal,  and  although  he  entered  Judea  as  an  umpire, 
he  staid  there  as  a  master,  and  forced  the  Jews  to  pay  trib- 
ute to  Rome.  In  the  course  of  this  war,  the  temple  hill 
was  besieged  and  taken  by  storm.  Pompey  entered  the 
temple,  and  in  spite  of  all  remonstrances  he  forced  his 
way  into  the  Holy  of  Holies,  where  none  but  the  high 
priest  was  allowed  to  enter,  and   that   only  once  a  year. 

Pompey  also  pulled  down  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  which 
had  been  rebuilt  by  Nehemiah,  but  he  allowed  the  Jews  to 
continue  their  worship  as  before.  Ten  years  later,  Cras'- 
sus,  another  Roman,  came  to  Syria.     He  was  very  greedy 


227 


for  gold,  and  he  ordered  that  the  temple  should  be  robbed 
and  all  its  treasures  carried  off. 

When  Jul'ius  Cae'sar  became  master  of  Rome,  he  ap- 
pointed a  governor  for  Judea;  but  this  ruler  was  soon  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  Her'od  the  Great,  who  took  the  title  of 


«^ 


Herod's  Temple. 


king.  To  make  the  Jews  friendly  to  him  this  Herod  mar- 
ried Ma-ri-am'ne,  sister  of  the  high  priest,  and  the  last 
member  of  the  royal  family ;  but  he  finally  murdered  her 
and  her  sons  in  a  fit  of  jealousy. 

About  twenty  years  before  our  era,  Herod,  hoping  to 
disarm  the  wrath  of  the  Jews,  who  still  hated  him,  began 
to  rebuild  the  ruined  temple,  and  the  main  part  of  this 
work  was  finished  the  very  year  that  Christ  was  born. 


228 


LXX.     THE   DESTRUCTION    OF   JERUSALEM. 

YOU  have  seen,  all  through  the  course  of  this  history, 
how  anxiously  the  Chosen  People  had  been  watching 
and  praying  for  the  coming  of  the  promised  Messiah,  the 
prince  and  deliverer.  When  you  read  and  understand  the 
prophecies  where  his  coming  is  foretold,  you  will  perhaps 
see  why  the  Jews  and  Christians  have  different  opinions 
on  this  subject. 

The  Jews  were  and  are  a  proud  and  shrewd  people,  and 
it  was  very  galling  to  them  to  be  under  the  rule  of  foreign- 
ers. As  the  prophecies  had  told  of  a  coming  prince,  and 
had  described  his  power  and  glory,  the  Jews  expected  — 
and  still  expect  —  a  mighty  earthly  king. 

The  Christians,  in  reading  the  same  prophecies,  see  that 
the  long-promised  Messiah  was  indeed  a  king,  but  one 
whose  kingdom  was  not  of  the  earth,  and  short-lived,  but 
of  heaven,  and  eternal.  These  two  very  different  explana- 
tions of  the  sayings  of  the  prophets  have  been  the  cause 
of  many  disputes. 

In  the  days  of  Herod,  the  faithful  Jews  were  very  much 
excited  ;  because,  as  far  as  they  could  make  out,  it  was  now 
about  time  for  the  promised  Messiah  to  appear.  Now,  all 
of  you  who  have  Christian  parents  are  familiar  with  the 
story  of  Jesus  Christ, — the  Messiah,  according  to  the  Chris- 
tians. You  know  that  his  coming  had  been  foretold  to  his 
mother,  Mary,  by  an  angel,  that  he  was  born  in  Bethlehem, 
in  a  manger,  and  that  an  angel  announced  his  birth  to 
some  poor  shepherds,  who  were  the  first  to  worship  him. 

You  have  also  heard  how  three  wise  men  came  from  the 
East  to  Jerusalem,  following  a  star,  and  asking  :  "Where  is 


229 

he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ? "  This  question  came  to 
the  ears  of  Herod ;  and  as  he  was  afraid  that  the  prophe- 
cies might  be  true,  he  ordered  the  massacre  of  all  the  inno- 
cent little  children  in  Bethlehem. 

The  infant  Jesus,  as  you  know,  was  not  killed  with  the 
rest,  because  Joseph,  warned  by  an  angel,  had  gone  with 
him  and  his  mother  to  Egypt.  The  story  of  the  life  of 
Jesus,  which  you  will  find  in  the  New  Testament,  tells  how 
he  came  back  to  Palestine  when  Herod  died,  how  he  grew 
up  at  Naz'a-reth,  and  how  he  visited  the  temple  at  Jerusa- 
lem when  he  was  only  twelve  years  old. 

Next  we  find  there  an  account  of  the  teaching  and 
preaching  of  Christ,  whom  Christians  consider  the  son  of 
God,  while  Mussulmans  think  he  was  a  prophet,  and  the 
Jews  call  him  an  impostor.  The  Jews  were  very  angry 
that  a  poor  man  should  be  called  the  Messiah,  and  this  is 
the  reason  why  they  accused  Christ  of  blasphemy,  and, 
with  the  help  of  the  Romans,  crucified  him. 

In  the  course  of  his  teaching  and  preaching,  Christ  had 
foretold  —  as  had  many  of  the  prophets  before  him  —  that 
Jerusalem  would  be  destroyed  before  very  long.  These 
words  had  only  served  to  make  the  Jews  angrier  still, 
because  they  loved  their  city,  and  could  not  bear  to  think 
that  any  harm  would  happen  to  it. 

After  Christ's  death,  resurrection,  and  ascension,  which 
are  also  related  in  the  New  Testament,  many  people  be- 
lieved that  he  was  the  promised  Messiah,  the  son  of  God, 
and  began  to  worship  him.  Because  they  did  so,  they  were 
persecuted  by  the  Jews  and  by  the  Romans  ;  and  they  were 
finally  driven  out  of  Jerusalem,  and  went  to  live  elsewhere. 

The  historians  of  this  time  tell  us  that  the  Jews  were 


230 

quarreling  among  themselves,  that  every  man's  hand  was 
against  his  brother,  and  that  strange  signs  and  prodigies 
showed  that  the  end  was  very  near.  A  comet  hung  over 
the  city,  chariots  and  armies  were  seen  in  the  sky,  and  all 
hearts  were  filled  with  a  nameless  fear. 

The  Jews,  in  terror,  now  suddenly  revolted  against  the 
Romans.  The  latter  sent  large  armies  to  Palestine,  under 
their  generals  Ti'tus  and  Ves-pa'sian,  and  captured  town 
after  town.  Finally  Titus  came  and  laid  siege  to  Jerusa- 
lem, which  was  in  the  hands  of  several  different  political 
parties,  and  surrounded  by  three  great  walls. 

So  many  people  had  taken  refuge  in  the  city  that  there 
was  soon  a  most  horrible  famine.  Then,  too,  the  Roman 
engines  threw  showers  of  stones,  arrows,  and  burning 
pitch  into  the  city.  After  a  most  heroic  resistance,  Jeru- 
salem was  taken,  inch  by  inch ;  and,  as  the  people  fought 
to  the  very  end,  and  would  not  surrender,  they  were  nearly 
all  killed. 

The  temple  was  taken  last,  and  having  been  accidentally 
set  on  fire,  this  magnificent  building  was  entirely  burned. 
Titus  only  managed  to  save  the  golden  vessels  and  candle- 
stick, which  were  carried  by  his  soldiers  in  his  triumph  on 
his  return  to  Rome. 

The  walls  of  Jerusalem  were  razed,  a  Roman  garrison 
was* placed  there,  and  all  the  Jews  that  were  left  were  sent 
away,  and  were  told  that  they  would  be  put  to  death  if  they 
ever  came  back. 

Thus  driven  out  of  their  native  country,  for  many  years 
the  Jews  scattered  all  over  the  world ;  but  wherever  they 
went'they  carried  with  them  the  story  of  their  race,  which 
has  been  briefly  told  you  in  this  little  volume. 

v^\  b  R  A  RyX 

f  "     or  THB  ^ 

I  TrNTTVr.-RSTTY  I 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Aaron,  acts  as  spokesman  for  Moses   .    .    66 

birth  of 64 

children  of  Israel  rebel  against  .     .   76,  78 

death  of 79 

disobedience  of  sons  of 73 

governs  the  Israelites 72 

rod  of,  buds 78 

supports  Moses'  hands 71 

tries  to  oppose  Moses 75 

Abel,  murdered  by  Cain 18 

Abiathar,  banished  by  Solomon  ....  148 

David  consults 134 

son  of  high  priest 129 

Abigail,  wife  of  David    .     .     .      132,134,136 

Abijah,  King  of  Judah 158 

Abimelech,  King  of  Philistines   .     ...     35 

Abimelech,  sixth  judge  of  Israel      .     .     .  104 

son  of  Gideon,  claims  royal  power  .     .  102 

Abner,  general  of  Israelite  army      .     .     .  135 

Abraham,  birth  of 25 

death  of 43 

God  promises  son  to 32 

journeyings  of 29-35 

marries  Keturah 42 

Midianites  descendants  of       ....     65 
pleads  for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah     .     .     33 

rescues  Lot 31 

Terah  father  of 26,  27 

trial  of  faith  of 37-39 

Absalom,  avenges  his  sister 143 

death  of 146 

makes  himself  king 145 

rebels  against  David 144 

Adam,  creation  of 13,  25 

descendants  of 21 

disobedience  of 15 

instructed  by  God 14 

punishment  and  sufferings  of  .  .  16,  17 
Adullam,  cave  of,  David  in  .  .  .  128,  129 
Agag,  King  of  the  Amalekites     .     .     121,122 

Ahab,  Athaliah  daughter  of 182 

death  of 173 

Elijah  appears  before     ....     165,  167 

23 


PAGE 

Ahab,  Elijah  promises  rain  to     ....  169 

house  of,  to  be  cut  off 176 

made  king  of  Israel 162 

offers  to  buy  Naboth's  vineyard      .     .  172 
seventy  sons  of,  put  to  death       .     .     .177 

succeeded  by  Ahaziah 174 

wickedness  of 164 

Ahasuerus,  Bible  name  for  Xerxes,  216-220 
Ahaz,  King  of  Judah,  wickedness  of  193,  194 
Ahaziah  (of  Israel),  idolatry  of  .     .     .     .  174 

succeeds  Ahab 173 

tries  to  kill  Elijah 175 

Ahaziah  (of  Judah),  wickedness  of  .  .  183 
Ahinoam,  wife  of  David     ....     134,136 

Ajalon,  valley  of 88 

Alexander  the  Great,  and  Jaddua    .     .     .  223 

conquers  Asia  Minor 222 

Alexandria,  city  of  Egypt  ....  223,  224 
Amalekites,  conquered  by  Joshua  ...     83 

defeated  by  David 133,  134 

fight  with  Israelites 71,  77,  91 

Israelites  fall  into  the  hands  of  ...    98 

king  of,  spared  by  Saul 121 

Amasa,  appointed  captain  of  army       .     .  146 

slain  by  Joab 147 

Amaziah,  falls  into  idolatry 186 

made  king  of  Judah 185 

succeeded  by  Uzziah 192 

Ambrose,  St.,  church  of,  at  Milan  ...    80 

Ammon,  grandson  of  Noah 35 

Ammonites,  conquered  by  Jephthah    .     .  104 

conquered  by  Saul 119,  121 

descendants  of  Lot 35 

make  war  against  Judah 174 

Amnon,  killed  by  Absalom 143 

son  of  David 142 

Amon,  King  of  Judah,  wickedness  of.  .  200 
Amorites,  the,  friends  of  Abraham  ...     31 

Amos,  prophecies  of 191 

Arabia,  famine  in 57 

Arabs,  Ishmael  the  ancestor  of   ....     33 

Ararat,  Mount,  ark  rests  upon    ....     23 

Noah  builds  altar  upon 24 

I 


232 


PAGE 

Aristobulus,  one  of  the  Maccabees  .     .     .226 

Ark,  the,  built  by  Noah 22 

rests  on  Mount  Ararat 23 

Ark  of  the  Covenant,  brings  misfortune 

upon  the  Philistines 115 

brought  to  Jerusalem 136 

captured  by  Philistines 114 

contents  of 78 

returned  to  Israelites 116 

Asa,  piety  of,  rewarded 162 

reproved  for  lack  of  faith 163 

son  of  Abijah 159 

Asher,  son  of  Jacob 48 

Ashtoreth,  heathen  goddess    .     ...     .     .  154 

Asia  Minor,  conquered  by  Alexander  .     .  222 
Assyria,  conquered  by  Cyrus  the  Great  .  210 

kingdom  of,  overthrown 201 

Nineveh,  the  great  city  of      ....  187 

ten  tribes,  the,  carried  captive  to    .     .  195 

Assyrian  Empire,  founding  of    ....     26 

Assyrians,  smitten  by  God 199 

wars  of 191-194,  197 

Athaliah,  death  of 184 

wickedness  of 183,  185 

wife  of  Joram  of  Judah 182 

Baal,  heathen  god,  99,  102,  164,  167,  168,  169, 

170.  175,  177,  183,  185 

Baasha,  third  King  of  Israel  .     .     .     161,162 

Babel,  Tower  of 27 

Babylon,  Alexander  dies  at 223 

captivity  of  Jews  in 112,  202 

Cyrus  the  Great  rules  over    ....  215 

Ezekiel  a  captive  at 206 

founded  by  Nimrod 26 

Jehoiakim  vassal  of 202 

King  of,  kind  to  Jehoiachin    ....  210 
offers  to  make  alliance  with  Hezekiah,  198 

taken  by  Persians 211 

Babylonians,  at  war  with  Assyrians    .     .  197 

carry  Jews  into  captivity 205 

take  Jerusalem 202 

Balaam,  story  of 80,  81 

Balak,  King  of  Moab 80,  81 

Barak,  death  of 98 

judge  of  Israel ..........     92 

Bathsheba,  wife  of  David  .    140,  141,  142,  148 
Bedouins,  Ishmael  ancestor  of    ....     33 

Beersheba,  Abraham  in 35,  39 

Belshazzar,  King  of  Babylon,  sees  hand- 
writing on  the  wall 210 

sends  for  Daniel  to  interpret  handwrit- 
ing       211 

Benjamin,  birth  of 51 

goes  to  Egypt  with  his  brothers      .     .     58 
Jacob's  anxiety  for  .......     57 


PAGE 

Benjamin  (tribe  of) ,  faithfulness  of      .     .  156 

people  of  Gibeah  belong  to    ....    94 

quarrels  with  Judah 146 

Benjamites,  Amasa  starts  out  to  fight .     .  146 

Joab  pursues 147 

most  of,  slain 94 

Bethel,  Abraham  comes  to 30 

Elisha  on  the  way  to 178 

golden  calf  set  up  at 157,  159 

Jacob  at 47,  51 

Bethlehem,  Christ  born  in 228 

home  of  Naomi 96 

Rachel  buried  near 51 

Bethshemesh,  the  Ark  at 116 

Boaz,  marries  Ruth 97 

Ruth  gleans  in  fields  of 96 

son  of  Rahab  and  ancestor  of  David,  86,  98 

Caesar,  Julius,  master  of  Rome  .     .     .     .227 

Cain,  birth  of 17 

"brand"  of 20 

daughters  of 21 

descendants  of 20 

murders  his  brother 18 

punishment  of 20 

Caleb,  goodness  of,  rewarded 89 

one  of  spies  sent  into  promised  land   .     76 

Othniel  nephew  of 91 

Calf,  golden,  Israelites  worship  ....     72 

Canaan,  land  of,  famine  in 57 

Jacob  in 52 

Canaanites,  driven  out  by  Israelites    .     .     91 

Israelites  defeated  by 77 

King  of,  oppresses  Israel 92 

not  subdued  by  Joshua 88 

Carmel,  Mount,  Elijah  on  .     .     .     .     167-169 

Elisha  at 178 

Chaldeans,  Belshazzar,  King  of  the    .     .211 

Chaos,  meaning  of  word n 

world  made  from 12,  13 

Chosen  People,  25,  29,  43,  52,  65,  79,  80,  87, 
89,  98,  102,  120,  124,  139,  157,  206,  228 
Chosen  Race,  see  Chosen  People. 

Christ,  birth  of 25 

Christians n,  17,  51,  228,  229 

Circumcision,  rite  of,  established    ...     32 
Commandments,  the  ten,  given  to  Israel,  72,  73 

Creation,  story  of  the 11-13,25 

Cyrus  the  Great,  allows  Jews  to  return  to 

Jerusalem 215 

becomes  king  of  Babylon 211 

conquests  of 210 

Dagon,  heathen  god 112,115 

Damascus,  Assyrians  capture      ....  193 
founder  of    .........     .  155 


233 


PAGE 

Damascus,  Israel  and  Judah  make  war 

against  king  of 173 

Jeroboam  II.  attacks 187 

people  of,  at  war  with  Israel  ....  180 

Dan,  son  of  Jacob 48 

Dan  (tribe  of),  spies  sent  from  ....     93 

Dan  (city  of),  name  of  Laish  changed  to     94 

golden  calf  set  up  at     ...     .     157,  159 

Daniel,  explains  Belshazzar's  vision   .     .  211 

explains  Nebuchadnezzar's  dreams, 207-209 

in  lions'  den 212 

made  ruler  in  Babylon 208 

principle  of 206 

Susannah  saved  by 214 

visions  of 215 

Daniel,  Book  of 223 

Danite,  Samson  son  of  a 107 

Danites,  become  masters  of  Laish  ...     94 

Darius,  made  governor  of  Babylon       .     .  211 

orders  Daniel  cast  into  lions'  den    .     .  212 

David,  Absalom  rebels  against    ....  144 

and  Goliath 124,  125 

and  the  Gibeonites ,.     .  139 

anointed  by  Samuel 122 

Boaz  ancestor  of 86 

brings  Ark  to  Jerusalem 136 

death  of 148 

flight  of 128 

God's  covenant  with 182 

grief  of,  for  Absalom 146 

in  exile 145 

made  king 135 

marries  Abigail 132 

marries  Michal 126 

mourns  for  Jonathan 134 

Obed  grandfather  of 98 

popularity  of 125 

punishment  of 142,  147 

repentance  of 141 

sin  of 140 

victories  of 137 

wanderings  of 128-134 

Dead  Sea      ...'....      35,  76,  80,  85 

Deborah,  death  of 98 

prophetess  of  Israel 92 

song  of  triumph  of 93 

Delilah,  wife  of  Samson in 

Deluge,  the 21-24 

Devil,  the,  Eve  tempted  by 15 

Dinah,  carried  off  by  Shechemites  ...  51 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Leah  ....     48 

Ecclesiastes,  Book  of 155 

Eden,  Garden  of,  Adam  in  ....  14,  15 
Adam  and  Eve  driven  from  ....  17 
blessing  spoken  in,  repeated  to  Noah  .     24 


PAGE 

Eden,  described  to  Methuselah  ....     21 

Edom,  Hadad,  Prince  of 155 

Edomites,  Amaziah  makes  war  upon    .     .  185 

conquered  by  Saul 121 

David  makes  war  upon 137 

origin  of  the 42,  52 

Egypt,  Abraham  in 29 

army  of,  defeated  by  army  of  Judah    .  162 

"  as  dark  as  " 67 

at  war  with  Syria 224 

famine  in 56 

flight  of  Israelites  from 68 

infant  Jesus  taken  to 229 

Isaac  in " 44 

Jacob  in 59 

Jeroboam  flees  to  • 155 

Jews  carried  into 223 

Jews  flee  to 205 

Joseph  in 53 

Joseph's  brethren  in 57~59 

King  of,  invades   kingdom  of  Reho- 

boam 158 

Nebuchadnezzar  conquers      ....  206 
prince  of  Edomites  flees  to     ....  137 

Ptolemy,  King  of 223 

Solomon  marries  daughter  of  King  of,    149 
Zedekiah  seeks  alliance  with  ....  205 

Egyptians,  attack  Jerusalem 201 

defeated  by  Babylonians 202 

give  aid  to  Jehoiakim 203 

refuse  help  from  the  Jews       .     .     .     .198 

Ehud,  delivers  Israel  from  Moabites    .     .     91 

Elah,  fourth  King  of  Israel 161 

Eleazar,  becomes  high  priest 79 

death  of 90 

Eli,  death  of      . 115 

grief  of 114 

high  priest 107,  112 

Samuel  left  in  care  of 113 

Eliezer,  gets  wife  for  Isaac      .     .     .     .   40,  47 
steward  of  Abraham 39 

Elijah,  Ahaziah  tries  to  kill 175 

and  the  poor  widow 166 

appoints  Elisha  as  his  successor      .     .   177 

at  the  court  of  Ahab 165 

carried  to  heaven  in  fiery  chariot    .     .178 

fed  by  ravens 165 

fulfillment  of  prophecy  of  .     .     .     173,177 

in  wilderness  of  Sinai 170 

on  Mount  Carmel 167-169 

prophesies  death  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel,   172 

Elisha,  appointed  Elijah's  successor    .     .  177 

dying  prophecy  of 186 

miracles  of 178  182 

sin  of  servant  of 180 

Endor,  witch  of,  Saul  visits 133 


234 


PAGE 

Engedi,  David  and  Saul  at 130 

Enoch,  city  built  by  Cain 20 

Enoch,  father  of  Methuselah 21 

Ephraim,  blessed  by  Jacob 60 

son  of  Joseph 56 

Ephraimites,  defeated  by  Jephthah      .     .  105 
Esau,  anger  of,  against  Jacob     .     ..."    46 

birth  and  character  of 42 

family  of 52 

goes  to  meet  Jacob 50 

Jacob's  fear  of 49 

sells  his  birthright 43 

supplanted  by  Jacob 44-46 

Esther,  story  of 216-220 

Etam,  Samson  takes  refuge  on  rock  of     .  109 
Euphrates,  crossed  by  Abraham      ...     29 

Eve,  creation  of 14 

descendants  of 21 

punishment  and  sufferings  of    .     .     16,  17 
temptation  and  disobedience  of  .     .     .     15 

Exodus,  the 79 

Exodus,  Book  of 63 

Ezekiel,  prophecy  of,  concerning  Egypt  .  206 
Ezra,  leads  Jews  out  of  Babylon      .     .     .  221 

Feast  of  Lights,  the 225 

Fruit,  the  forbidden 14-16 

Gad,  son  of  Jacob 48 

Gad  the  prophet,  David  visited  by  .     .     .129 

Gad  (tribe  of),  carried  into  captivity  .     .  193 

land  allotted  to 82 

recrosses  Jordan 89 

Galilee,  twenty  cities  of,  given  to  Hiram,  154 

Gaza,  Samson  at 109 

Genesis,  first  book  in  the  Bible   ....  n 

Gentiles,  Japheth  father  of 26 

Redeemer  for 29 

Gibeah,  Saul's  home  at 119 

wickedness  of  people  of 94 

Gibeon,  heights  of 139,  149 

people  of,  made  slaves  by  Israelites    .  87 

Gibeonites,  revenge  of 139 

treachery  of 87 

Gideon,  and  the  fleece 99 

becomes  judge  of  Israel 98 

defeats  the  Midianites 101 

makes  an  ephod 102 

selects  men  for  his  army 100 

Gilead,  Jephthah  buried  in 107 

mountains  of 105 

Gilgal,  Israelites  celebrate  Passover  at    .  85 

Saul  and  his  army  at 119 

Goliath,  slain  by  David 125 

Gomorrah,  Abraham  pleads  for  .     .     .     .  33 

destruction  of  .........  34 


PAGE 

Gomorrah,  wickedness  of 31 

Granicus,  battle  of 222 

Great  King,  the,  Solomon  called      .     .     .  149 

Greece,  expedition  of  Xerxes  against  .     .  216 

Hadad,  Prince  of  Edom 155 

Hagar,  banishment  of 37 

becomes  wife  of  Abraham 32 

Ishmael  born  to 33 

Ham,  curse  pronounced  upon     ....     25 

Nimrod  a  descendant  of 26 

son  of  Noah 22 

Haman,  adviser  of  Ahasuerus    .     .      217-220 
Hannah,  mother  of  Samuel     .     .     .     112,113 

Haran,  brother  of  Abraham 27 

Hebrew,  meaning  of 29 

Hebron,  city  of,  given  to  Caleb  ....     89 

David  reigns  at 135 

Heliodorus,  tries  to  rob  the  temple      .     .  224 

Herod  the  Great,  cruelty  of 229 

temple  of 227 

Hezekiah,  King  of  Judah,  goodness  of  .  194 
prosperity  and  death  of  .  .  '  .  .  .199 
restored  to  health  by  Isaiah   ....   197 

vanity  and  repentance  of iy8 

Hiram,  architect  of  Solomon's  temple,  151-153 

asks  David's  alliance 135 

golden  shields  made  by 158 

receives  reward  from  Solomon    .     .     .154 
Holy  City,  name  for  Jerusalem  ....  221 

Holy  of  Holies,  the 152,226 

Holy  Land,  Abraham  in 29,  35 

Bethel  in 30 

Jacob  comes  to 49 

return  of  ten  tribes  to,  foretold   .     .     .191 

spies  in 89 

won  for  Israel  by  Joshua 90 

Holy  Place,  the 152 

Hophni,  son  of  Eli 113,114 

Hor,  Mount,  Children  of  Israel  reach  .     .     79 

Hosea,  prophecies  of 191 

Hoshea,  last  King  of  Israel    .     .     .     192,  194 
Hushai,  servant  of  David 145 

Ichabod,  birth  of 1T5 

Isaac,  birth  of 35 

blesses  Jacob 46 

death  of       52 

head  of  the  Chosen  Race 43 

in  Egypt 44 

Jacob  returns  to  . 51 

marriage  of 42 

sacrifice  of 38 

Isaiah,  encourages  people  of  Jerusalem  .  193 
foretells  destruction  of  Nineveh  .  .  201 
Hezekiah  sends  for 197 


235 


PAGE 

Isaiah,  probably  killed  by  Manasseh   .     .  199 

prophecy  of,  fulfilled 199 

prophesies  destruction  of  Tyre  .  .  .  197 
rebukes  Hezekiah  and  bis  people   .     .198 

Ishbosheth,  son  of  Saul 135 

Ishmael,  banishment  of 37 

birth  of .     .     .     33 

daughter  of,  marries  Esau      ....     47 

Israel,  Jacob  called 50,  63 

Israel,  kingdom  of,  comes  to  an  end    .     .  194 

people  of,  revolt 176,  194 

prophets  in 191 

ten  tribes  form 157 

Israelites,  Ark  returned  to 116 

at  war  with  Philistines,  114,  117,  120,  124, 

133,  134 
celebrate  Passover  at  Gilgal  ....     85 

cross  the  Red  Sea 69 

David  counts 147 

David  joined  by  force  of 128 

departure  of,  from  Egypt 68 

make  Samson  judge 109 

oppressed  by  Pharaoh 64,  65 

oppressed  by  Solomon 153 

origin  of  the 42 

passed  over  by  angel  of  death    ...     67 

punished,  73,  75,  77,  78,  79,  81,  90,  91,  98, 

104, 107 

return  of,  to  promised  land  foretold    .     60 

Saul  rebukes 133 

settle  in  Egypt 59 

threaten  Jerusalem 193 

unfaithfulness  of  ...  .  90,  98,  T04,  164 
victories  of,  8o,  86,  87,  92,  93,  101,  117, 120 
wanderings  of,  in  the  wilderness     .    66-82 

Issachar,  son  of  Jacob 48 

Issus,  battle  of      .     ., 222 

Jabal,  first  wandering  herdsman      ...     20 

Jacob,  and  the  angel 50 

birth  and  character  of 42 

buys  Esau's  birthright 43 

death  of 60 

descendants  of 63 

goes  to  Mesopotamia 47 

grief  of,  for  Joseph '-53 

love  of,  for  Rachel 47 

moves  his  family  into  Egypt       ...     59 

partiality  of,  for  Joseph 52 

Rebecca's  favorite  son        ....   42,  44 

receives  Isaac's  blessing 46 

returns  to  his  own  land      ....    49-51 

sends  to  Egypt  for  food 57 

wives  and  sons  of 48 

Jaddua  the  Sixth,  high  priest      ....  222 
Jael,  Sisera  slain  by 92 


PAGE 

Japheth,  father  of  European  nations  .  .  25 
son  of  Noah 22 

Jehoahaz,  sin  and  punishment  of     .     .     .  184 

Jehoiachin,  King  of  Judah 210 

Jehoiakim,  great-grandson  of,  leads  Jews 

out  of  Babylon 215 

made  king  of  Judah 201 

made  vassal  of  Babylon 202 

revolts  against  Babylon 203 

Jehoshaphat,  Joram  of  Judah  son  of  .  .  182 
King  of  Judah,  piety  of  .  .  163,  173, 174 
makes  alliance  with  Ahab       .     .     164,  173 

Jehovah,  Hebrew  name  for  God      .     .     .  167 

Jehu,  anointed  king  of  Israel      ....  176 

family  of  Ahab  slain  by 183 

race  of,  destroyed 191 

restores  worship  of  God  in  Israel    .     .  177 
sinks  into  idolatry 184 

Jephthah,  daughter  of 105 

death  of 107 

vow  of 104 

Jericho,  Elijah  journeys  toward  .     .     .     .  177 

Elisha  sweetens  water  at 178 

prophets  at 178 

spies  visit 83 

taken  by  Chosen  People 98 

walls  of,  fall  down 86 

Jeremiah,  advises  and  warns  Jews  .     .     .  205 

mourns  for  Josiah 201 

prophecies  of 202 

rebukes  Jehoiakim 201 

Jeroboam,  Abijah  wars  against   ....  158 

death  of 161 

meets  Rehoboam  at  Shechem     .     .    .  156 

reproved  for  idolatry 159 

ruler  of  revolting  ten  tribes    .     .     155,  156 
sets  up  golden  calves     ....    157,  159 

Jeroboam  II.,  long  reign  of 191 

thirteenth  King  of  Israel 186 

Jerusalem,  Absalom  king  at 145 

Absalom  recalled  to 144 

Ark  brought  to 136,  137 

capital  of  David .  140 

child  Jesus  in  temple  at 229 

Christians  driven  from 229 

David  flees  from 144 

David  moves  to 135 

David  returns  to 146 

destruction  of 230 

downfall  of,  foretold 201 

Egyptians  attack 201 

Ezra  and  Nehemiah  in 221 

in  danger  from  Assyrians        ....  199 
Jehoiachin  not  allowed  to  return  to     .210 

Jews  return  to 215 

Manasseh  sent  back  to  •     •     •     •     .     •  200 


236 


PAGE 

Jerusalem,  Nebuchadnezzar  invades    .     .  203 

palace  of  David  at 136 

plundered  by  Joash  of  Israel  ....  186 
plundered  by  King  of  Egypt  ....  158 
plundered  by  King  of  Syria    ....  185 

Ptolemy  IV.  invades 224 

purified  by  Josiah 201 

Rehoboam  flees  to 156 

return  of  Jews  to,  foretold      ....  214 

sacked  by  Babylonians 205 

Solomon  finishes  walls  of 154 

taken  by  Babylonians 202 

temple  at 39,  155 

ten  tribes  not  to  worship  at    .     .     .     .157 

threatened  by  Israelites 193 

tyrant  killed  in 91 

walls  of,  razed  by  Pompey      ....  226 

walls  of,  rebuilt  by  Asa 162 

wise  men  come  to 228 

Jeshua,  high  priest 215,  222 

Jesse,  grandson  of  Ruth 122 

sons  of 124 

Jesus  Christ,  birth  of 228 

teaching,  death,  and  resurrection  of   .  229 

Jethro,  comes  to  Israelite  camp  ....  71 
Moses  becomes  shepherd  of  .     .     .     .65 

Jews 11,  25,  32,  35,  51,  68,  86 

Ahasuerus  issues  decree  against  .  .217 
belief  of,  concerning  Messiah      .     228,  229 

carried  into  Egypt 223 

flee  into  Egypt 205 

Herod  hated  by    .......     .  227 

rebuild  walls  of  Jerusalem      ....  221 

return  of,  to  Jerusalem  foretold  .     .     .  214 

return  to  Jerusalem 215 

revolt  against  Syria 222 

scattering  of 230 

spared  by  Cyrus  the  Great  .  .  .  .211 
under  rule  of  Maccabees    .     .     .     225,  226 

Jezebel,  Athaliah  daughter  of     ...     .   182 

causes  death  of  Naboth 172 

death  of 177 

evil  influence  of 175 

hard  yoke  of 176 

threatens  Elijah 170 

wickedness  of 164 

Jezreel,  Ahab's  home  at 170 

Jehu  drives  to 176 

Joab,  Amasa  slain  by 147 

death  of 148 

intercedes  for  Absalom  ....     143,  144 

jealousy  of 146 

kills  Abner 135 

kills  Absalom 146 

placed  in  command  of  ai  my   .     .     140,145 

Joash,  child  King  of  J udah     .     .     .     183,184 


PAGE 

Joash,  long  reign  of 185 

Joash  (of  Israel)  and  Elisha 186 

plunders  Jerusalem .  186 

Job,  story  of 61-63 

Job,  Book  of 61,  63 

John  the  Baptist 221 

Jonah,  and  the  gourd 190 

and  the  great  fish 189 

called  to  prophesy  against  Nineveh     .  187 

Jonathan,  David  mourns  for 134 

Jonathan,  faithfulness  of,  to  David  .      126  128 

valor  of 119 

Joppa,  Jonah  flees  to 189 

Solomon's  vessels  sail  from    ....  151 

Joram  (of  Israel),  overthrow  of .     .     .     .  176 

punished  for  idolatry 181 

succeeds  Ahaziah  as  king  of  Israel      .  175 

Joram  (of  Judah),  wickedness  of    .     .     .  182 

Jordan,  Abraham  crosses 29 

battle  near  sources  of 31 

David  assembles  army  near  ....  145 

Elijah  parts  waters  of 177 

Elisha  parts  waters  of 178 

Ephraimites  not  allowed  to  cross     .     .  105 

Israelites  cross 85 

Jacob  crosses 51 

land  east  of,  conquered  by  Joshua  .     .  83 

Naaman  bidden  to  wash  in     ...     .  179 

spies  sent  up  the  ........  76 

tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad  recross   .     .  89 

Joseph,  adviser  of  Pharaoh 57 

birth  of 48 

buried  in  Shechem 90 

dreams  of     .     . 52 

interpreter  of  dreams 55 

last  days  of 60 

promotion  and  marriage  of    ....  56 

sold  into  Egypt 53 

tests  his  brethren 58 

welcomes  his  father  to  Egypt      ...  59 

Joshua,  captain  of  Israelites 70 

chosen  to  be  Moses'  successor    ...  82 

death  of 90 

last  words  of 89 

lead*  Israelites  across  the  Jordan   .     .  85 

makes  sun  stand  still 88 

promised  land  conquered  by  ....  88 

skill  and  faithfulness  of 83 

takes  Jericho 86 

Josiah,  finds  book  of  the  law 200 

good  reign  of 200 

reforms  and  death  of 201 

youngest  son  of 203 

Jotham,  King  of  Judah,  virtue  of    .     .     .  192 
Jubal,   inventor   of  first  musical   instru- 
ment    20 


237 


PAGE 

Judah,  blessed  by  Jacob 60 

son  of  Jacob 48 

Judah  (tribe  of),  Assyrian  king  in  land  of,  198 

at  war  with  Baasha 161 

changes  in 201 

David  in  land  of 129 

defeats  Egyptians 162 

defeats  tribes  of  the  desert  ....  174 
desolation  of,  foretold  by  Jeremiah  .  202 
Elijah  crosses  kingdom  of      ....  170 

Etam  in  territory  of 109 

faithful  to  house  of  David  .  155, 156,  157 
left  a  desert  by  Nebuchadnezzar     .     .  206 

prosperity  of  kingdom  of 163 

prospers  in  reign  of  Joash      ....  184 

quarrels  with  Benjamin  • 146 

sepulcher  of  kings  of 199 

strongholds  of,  taken  by  Egyptians     .  158 

under  rule  of  Asa 162 

under  rule  of  Syria 222 

victory  of,  over  Canaanites    ....    91 

Judas  Maccabaeus 225, 226 

Judea 222,  223,  224,  227 

Judges,  Book  of 91 

Judgment  Hall,  the,  of  Solomon      .     .     .  153 
Judith,  story  of    .     . 203 

Kadesh,  Israelites  return  to 79 

spies  sent  out  from 76 

Keilah,  David  at 129 

Keturah,  wife  of  Abraham      .     .     .     .42,65 

Kings,  Book  of 178 

Kirjath-jearim,  Ark  at 116 

Laban,  brother  of  Rebecca 40 

deceives  Jacob 48 

Jacob  sent  to  visit 46 

promises  Rachel  to  Jacob 47 

refuses  to  let  Jacob  go 49 

Ladder,  Jacob's 47 

Laish,  name  of,  changed  to  Dan      ...     94 

spies  on  the  way  to 93 

Lamech,  descendant  of  Cain 20 

Leah,  wife  of  Jacob 48 

Lebanon,  cedars  of 103,  136,  152 

Levi,  forfeits  his  birthright      .     .     .     .    51,  60 

Moses  descendant  of 64 

son  of  Jacob 48 

Levi  (tribe  of),  no  land  given  to     ...     89 

priesthood  confined  to 93 

Levite,  Samuel  son  of  a 112 

story  of  a 94 

Levites,  bring  Ark  to  Jerusalem      .     .     .  136 

chosen  as  priests 89 

follow  David  from  Jerusalem  .  .  .  144 
receive  the  Ark 116 


PAGE 

Levites,  the  only  priests 74, 192 

waters  of  Jordan  divide  at  approach  of,  85 

Lights,  Feast  of 225 

Lot,  escapes  from  Sodom 34 

nephew  of  Abraham 29 

parts  from  Abraham 30 

rescued  by  Abraham 31 

sin  and  punishment  of 35 

Maccabees,  masters  of  Jerusalem  .  225,226 
Macedon,  Alexander,  King  of  ...  .  222 
Machpelah,  cave  of,  Abraham  buried  in  .     43 

bought  by  Abraham 39 

Isaac  buried  in 52 

Jacob  buried  in 60 

Malachi,  preaching  and  prophecies  of      .  221 

Manasseh,  blessed  by  Jacob 60 

son  of  Joseph 56 

Manasseh,  King  of  Judah,  death  of     .     .  200 

long  reign  of 199 

Manasseh  (tribe  of) ,  carried  into  captivity,  193 
Manna,  Israelites  fed  with      .    .     .     .   70,  77 

pot  of,  preserved  in  Ark 78 

supply  of,  ceases 85 

Marah,  Israelites  at 69 

Mariamne,  wife  of  Herod  the  Great     .     .  227 

Mary,  mother  of  Christ 228 

Mattathias,  leader  of  the  Jews  ....  225 
Medes,  at  war  with  Assyrians  ....  197 
Media,  Cyrus  the  Great  conquers  .  .  .  210 
Menahem,  King  of  Israel,  cruelty  of  .     .  191 

murdered  by  Hoshea 192 

Mesopotamia,  Eliezer  journeys  to   ...    40 

Israelites  in  power  of 91 

Jacob  in 46,  47 

Messiah,  coming  of,  foretold,  81,  191,  214,  221 
different  beliefs  concerning     .     .     228, 229 

promise  of 17, 137 

to  be  born  of  the  Jewish  race      .     .25,46 

Messianic  psalms 137 

Methuselah,  great  age  of 21,  22 

Micah,  theft  of 93 

Michal,  wife  of  David,  126,  132,  135,  136,  137 

Midianites,  defeated  by  Gideon  .     .     101,102 

Israelites  fall  into  hands  of     ....     98 

Moses  flees  to  the 65 

Milan,  church  of  St.  Ambrose  at     ...     80 

Miriam,  birth  of 64 

care  of,  for  Moses 64,  65 

death  of 79 

tries  to  oppose  Moses 75 

Mizpeh,  Israelites  defeat  Philistines  at     .  117 

Moab,  grandson  of  Lot 35 

Moab  (land  of),  Chosen  People  in  .     .     .     80 

David's  parents  in 128 

Naomi  in 96 


238 


PAGE 

Moabites,  conquered  by  Ehud    ....     92 

conquered  by  Saul 121 

descendants  of  Lot 35 

Israelites  conquered  by 91 

Israelites  take  wives  from  among    .     .     81 

make  war  against  Judah 174 

punished  by  David 137 

Moloch,  heathen  god  .  .  .  154,  199,  201 
Mordecai,  uncle  of  Esther.     .     .     .      217-220 

Moriah,  Mount 151,  154 

Moses,  and  the  burning  bush      ....     66 

appears  before  Pharaoh 66 

birth  and  youth  of 64,  65 

brazen  serpent  made  by     .     .     .       79,  194 
brings  plagues  upon  Egyptians  ...     67 

brings  water  from  a  rock 70 

impatience  of,  punished 79 

intercedes  for  Israelites      .     .     .     .    77,  78 

Israelites  rebel  against 76,  78 

last  words  and  death  of 82 

leads  Israelites  into  desert      ....     68 

meekness  of 75 

mourning  for 83 

on  Mount  Sinai 71-73 

song  of 69 

takes  refuge  among  Midianites   ...     65 
the  great  lawgiver  of  Israel     ....     83 

waters  sweetened  by 69 

Mussulmans 51,  229 

Naaman,  healed  by  Elisha 179 

Nabal,  refuses  aid  to  David 132 

Naboth,  and  his  vineyard  ....  172,  173 
Nadab,  second  King  of  Israel  ....  161 
Nahor,  brother  of  Abraham    .     .     .     .    27,  29 

death  of 39 

sons  of 40 

Naomi,  story  of 96-98 

Naphtali,  son  of  Jacob 48 

Nathan,  the  prophet,  David  consults  .     .  137 

reproves  David 141 

Solomon  educated  by 148 

tells  parable  of  ewe  lamb    .....  140 

Nazareth,  Jesus'  home  at 229 

Nazarite,  Samson  called  a 107 

Nebo,  Mount,  Moses  dies  on 82 

Nebuchadnezzar,  conquests  of    .     .     203,  206 

dreams  of 207-209 

Nehemiah,  death  of 222 

reforms  of 221,  226 

Nile  River,  babies  thrown  into    ....     64 

Nimrod,  founder  of  Babylon 26 

Tower  of  Babel  built  by 27 

Nineveh,  building  of 26 

destruction  of 201 

Jonah  prophesies  against 189 


PAGE 

Nineveh,  prosperity  of 187 

spared  from  destruction 190 

Noah,  ark  built  by 22 

birth  of 21 

piety  of 24 

rescued  from  the  flood 23 

sin  and  death  of 25 

Nod,  Cain  in  land  of 20 

Obed,  grandfather  of  David 98 

Og,  giant  king  defeated  by  Israelites  .  .  80 
Olive  branch,  emblem  of  good  tidings  .  23 
Olives,  Mount  of,  heathen  altars  on     .     .154 

Omri,  sixth  King  of  Israel 162 

Ophir,  gold  brought  from 151 

Orpah,  daughter-in-law  of  Naomi  ...  96 
Othniel,  ruler  of  Israel 91 

Palestine,  Assyrians  march  against      .     .  194 

Babylonians  in 202 

conquered  by  Ptolemy 223 

Jesus  in 229 

Nineveh  northeast  of 187 

prince  of  Edomites  returns  to     .     .     .  137 

Roman  armies  in 230 

some  Jews  left  in 205 

southern  border  of 162,170 

won  for  Israel  by  Joshua 90 

Paradise,  name  for  Garden  of  Eden  .  17,  21 
Passover,  feast  of  the     .     .     .68,  85,  194,  201 

Penitential  psalms,  the 141 

Penuel,  town  of,  cursed  by  Gideon  .  .  .  101 
Perizzites,  driven  out  by  Israelites  ...  91 
Persia,  Cyrus  the  Great,  King  of  .  .  .  210 
royal  decree  unalterable  in  ...  .  220 
Persians,  defeated  by  Alexander      .     .     .  222 

take  Babylon 211 

Pharaoh,  advised  by  Joseph   .     .     .     .   56,  57 

dreams  of 55 

firstborn  of,  slain 67 

Israelites  oppressed  by 64,  66 

Moses  adopted  by  daughter  of    ...    65 

pursues  Israelites 68 

Philistines,  Ahaz  wars  against     ...        193 

at  war  with  Israel,  92,  104,  107,  117,  120, 

124,  125,  130,  134,  136 

David  takes  refuge  among      ....  133 

David  wars  against 128,  129 

driven  back  by  Hezekiah 194 

generosity  and  prosperity  of  ....     35 

Isaac  in  land  of 43,  44 

not  conquered  by  Joshua 88 

plunder  palace  of  Joram 182 

Samson  and  the 108-112 

the  Ark  among 115 

two  hundred  of,  slain  by  David  .     .     .126 


239 


PAGE 

Phinehas,  becomes  high  priest    ....     90 

son  of  high  priest 89 

Phinehas,  son  of  Eli .     .     .     .      113,  114,  115 
Phoenicia,  conquered  by  Alexander     .     .  222 

Elijah  goes  to 165 

Solomon  makes  alliance  with      .     .     .151 

Plagues,  the  ten 67 

Pompey,  in  Judea 226 

Potiphar,  Joseph  slave  of 53 

Promised  Land 90,  139,  153 

Proverbs,  Book  of 155 

Ptolemy,  King  of  Egypt 223 

Ptolemy  II 223 

Ptolemy  IV 224 

Purim,  the  feast  called 221 

Queen  of  Sheba,  visits  Solomon  ....  153 

Rachel,  death  of 51 

love  of  Jacob  for 47 

marries  Jacob 48 

Rahab,  Boaz  son  of 98 

kindness  of,  rewarded 86 

spies  saved  by 83 

Rainbow,  the  "  bow  of  promise"     ...     24 
Ramah,  David  at  a  place  near    ....   127 

Samuel's  home  at 117,  122 

Raphael,  an  angel 195,  197 

Rebecca,  chosen  as  wife  for  Isaac   .     .    40,  47 

deception  of 44-46 

marriage  of 42 

Red  Sea,  boundary  of  David's  kingdom  .  139 

Israelites  cross 68,  69 

Moses  in  desert  near 65 

Redeemer,  promise  of  a      .     .      17,29,43,48 
Rehoboam,  forbidden  to  go  to  war  .     .     .157 

rebellion  against 156 

sin  and  repentance  of 158 

Reuben,  forfeits  his  birthright     .     .     .    51,  60 

saves  Joseph's  life 53 

son  of  Jacob 48 

Reuben  (tribe  of),  carried  into  captivity  .  193 

land  allotted  to 82 

recrosses  Jordan 89 

Rezoh,  founder  of  Damascus 155 

Rizpah,  story  of 139 

Romans,  become  masters  of  Judea  .     .     .  226 

Jews  revolt  against 230 

Rome,  Jews  pay  tribute  to 226 

Julius  Csesar  master  of 227 

Ruth,  Jesse  the  grandson  of 122 

story  of 96-98 

Sabbath 70,  78,  223,  225 

Salem,  King  of,  blesses  Abraham    ...     32 
Samaria,  Ahab  buried  at 173 


PAGE 
Samaria,  besieged  by  Syrians      .     .     .     .181 

built  by  Omri 162 

capital  city  of  Israel 164,  177 

Elisha  at 178 

heathen  altars  set  up  at 164 

Samaria  (province  of),  destroyed    .     .     .  226 

Samson,  betrayed  by  Delilah m 

birth  of 107 

death  of 112 

made  judge 109 

Philistines  massacred  by 109 

riddle  of 108 

secret  of  strength  of 107 

Samuel,  advises  Israelites 116 

anoints  Saul  king 118 

becomes  a  prophet 114 

birth  and  youth  of 113 

David  anointed  by 122 

lays  down  office  of  judge 119 

reproves  Saul 119 

Samson  succeeded  by 112 

spirit  of,  appears  to  Saul 134 

troubles  of 117 

Sanhedrim,  origin  of  the 75 

Sarah,  a  son  promised  to 33 

death  of 39 

Isaac  born  to 35 

wife  of  Abraham 29,  30,  32 

Satan,  Eve  tempted  by 15 

Job  tempted  by 61,  63 

Saul,  and  David 124-134 

anointed  king  by  Samuel 118 

comes  to  Samuel 117 

consequences  of  sins  of 139 

daughter  of 125 

death  of 134 

defeats  the  Ammonites 119 

disobedience  of 121 

forsaken  by  the  Lord 122 

orders  massacre  of  priests 129 

rash  vow  of 120 

Shimei  member  of  house  of    .     .     .     .145 

sin  of 119 

visits  witch  of  Endor 133 

Sea  of  Brass,  the 152 

Septuagint,  the 224 

Serpent,  the,  in  Garden  of  Eden      .     .    15,  16 

Serpent,  the  brazen 79,  194 

Seth,  son  of  Adam 21 

Shamgar,  judge  of  Israel 92 

Sheba,  Queen  of,  visits  Solomon     .     .     .  153 

Shechem,  Israelites  at 87 

Jacob  in 51 

Jeroboam  establishes  his  capital  at      .  159 

Joseph  buried  in 90 

Joseph  sent  to 52 


240 


PAGE 

Shechem,  Rehoboam  proclaimed  king  at  156 
Shechemites,  defeated  by  Abimelech    .     .  103 

give  aid  to  Abimelech 102 

Jacob's  daughter  carried  off  by  .     .     .     51 

Shem,  death  of 42 

father  of  Jewish  race 25 

son  of  Noah 22 

story  of,  given  in  Bible 26 

Shibboleth    . 106 

Shiloh,  Eli  dies  at 115 

maidens  of,  kidnaped 96 

Samuel's  mother  at 112 

Shinar,  plain  of,  home  of  Nimrod    ...     26 

Tower  of  Babel  built  on 27 

Simeon,  forfeits  his  birthright     .     .     .    51,  60 
held  as  hostage  by  Joseph      ....     57 

son  of  Jacob 48 

Simeon  (tribe  of),  victory  of 91 

Simon,  high  priest 224 

Simon,  son  of  Mattathias 225 

Sinai,  Mount,  commandment  from  .     .     .  102 

Israelites  reach 71 

Moses  on 72 

Sisera,  captain  of  Canaanites 92 

slain  by  Jael 93 

Sodom,  Abraham  pleads  for 33 

destruction  of 34 

wickedness  of 31 

Solomon,  anointed  king 148 

birth  of 142 

builds  temple 152 

David  chooses,  as  his  successor     .     .  147 

death  of 156 

prepares  to  build  the  temple  ....  151 
prince  of  Edomites  makes  war  upon    .   137 

prosperity  of  Jews  under 148 

Queen  of  Sheba  visits 153 

sin  of 154 

unhappiness  of 155 

wisdom  of 149 

Solomon,  Song  of 155 

Spies,  sent  into  promised  land     ....     76 
Succoth,  town  of,  cursed  by  Gideon    .     .  101 

Sundial,  miracle  of  the 198 

Susannah,  story  of 214 

Syria,  Asa  seeks  alliance  with     ....  163 

at  war  with  Egypt 224 

Baasha  at  war  with 161 

conquered  by  Alexander 222 

Crassus  in 226 

famine  in 57 

Jehoahaz  fights  against 184 


King  of,  attempts  to  capture  Elisha      .  180 

King  of,  plunders  Jerusalem  . 

•     •  185 

Solomon  makes  alliance  with 

•     •  151 

Syrians,  Ahaz  wars  against     .     . 

•     •  i93 

alliance  of  Israel  with   .     .     . 

.     .  192 

army  of,  struck  with  blindness 

.     .  180 

besiege  Samaria 

.     .  181 

the  Maccabees  at  war  with     . 

•     •  225 

Tabernacle,  directions  given  concerning  .     72 

Tabernacles,  Feast  of 152 

Tamar,  Absalom  avenges 143 

daughter  of  David 142 

Tarshish,  Jonah  sails  for 189 

Temple  of  Solomon,  building  of .     .     .     .  152 

site  of 39 

Tempter,  the,  in  Garden  of  Eden  ...  15 
Terah,  death  of 29 

father  of  Abraham 26,  27 

Testament,  New  ...  n,  75,  166,  221,  229 
Testament,  Old,  n,  63,  152,  155,  166,  221,  224 
Thebez,  a  city  of  the  Shechemites  .  .  .  103 
Theocracy,  Chosen  People  a  .  .  102, 117,  222 
Titus,  Jerusalem  destroyed  by    ...     .  230 

Tobias,  son  of  Tobit 195,  197 

Tobit,  story  of 195-197 

Tophet,  defiled  by  Josiah 201 

Tubal-cain,  the  first  smith 20 

Turks,  brazen  serpent  in  treasury  of  .  .  80 
Tyre,  besieged  by  Assyrians 197 

Hiram,  King  of 135,  151 

Nebuchadnezzar  becomes  master  of    .  206 


Ur,  early  home  of  Abraham 
Uriah,  David's  plot  to  kill 
Uz,  land  of,  home  of  Job   . 
Uzziah,  sin  of 


Vashti,  wife  of  Ahasuerus  . 
Vespasian,  Roman  general 


Wilderness,  Children  of  Israel  in 
Xerxes,  called  Ahasuerus  in  Bible 


Zebulun,  son  of  Jacob  .... 
Zechariah,  foster  brother  of  Joash 
Zedekiah  made  king  of  Judah  . 
taken  captive  by  Babylonians 
Zimri,  fifth  King  of  Israel  .  .  . 
Zion,  Mount,  the  Ark  brought  to 


•  •  27 
140,  142 
61 
192 


216 
230 


69-82 
.  216 


48 
185 
203 
205 
161,  176 
■     •  i37 


Typography  by  J.  S.  Cushing  &  Co.,  Norwood,  Mass. 


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